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道Nihongo Path
丹

丹·rust-colored, red, red lead

On-yomi
たん
Kun-yomi
に

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
丹念たんねんpainstaking, careful
丹精たんせいworking at something with devoted care
牡丹ぼたんtree peony
丹念にたんねんにcarefully, painstakingly

Example sentences

  1. 資料を丹念に調べた。

    しりょうをたんねんにしらべた。

    I went through the materials painstakingly.

  2. 祖母が丹精込めて育てた花だ。

    そぼがたんせいこめてそだてたはなだ。

    These are flowers my grandmother raised with devoted care.

  3. 庭に大きな牡丹が咲いている。

    にわにおおきなぼたんがさいている。

    A large peony is blooming in the garden.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 牡丹 as ぼたん but writing it 牡団
  • Treating the 'red' sense as current; in modern Japanese 丹 mostly carries the idea of devoted care (丹念, 丹精)

Memory aid

Picture it

A small box with a dot inside: the cinnabar ore dug out and kept — the source of a vivid red pigment.

Quick check

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What does the kanji 丹 mean?