漢字Kanji · in Textiles, Plants & Food
答: solution, answer
竹 carries the meaning · 合 is drawn in
Two readings, and the words that use each
トウtou · on'yomi · in compounds
- 解答するかいとうするsolve, figure out
- 回答するかいとうするreply [v.i.]
- 応答するおうとうするrespond [v.i.]
- 返答するへんとうするreply [v.i.]
- 答案とうあんexamination paper
こたえるkotaeru · kun'yomi · on its own
- 答えるこたえるanswer [v.i.]
Also read こたえ, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)竹 bamboo (meaning) + 合 (sound)
Originally, it was a variant of 荅, where the semantic component 艸 (grass) was later mistakenly replaced by 竹 (bamboo). It expresses the meaning of "to respond.".
Source: Wiktionary, 答 (rev. 93437329), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Bamboo (⺮) + fit/join (合). To "fit" a "bamboo" strip into its matching piece—the literal act of "joining" two parts to provide a correct "answer."”
Connections
Also built on fit (合)
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · dá
Same form: 答 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 答 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 答 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin dá most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.