得
dé
- Pinyin
- dé
- Pinyin (Plain)
- de
- Tone
- 2
- Strokes
- 11
- Radical
- 彳
- Readings
- dédeTone: 2to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finishedOrder: 0Primarydei3deiTone: 3to have to; must; ought to; to need toOrder: 1
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 304 794 Q 316 761 237 655 Q 200 609 150 557 Q 140 548 136 542 Q 132 532 145 533 Q 196 539 323 674 Q 353 716 378 732 Q 388 742 385 755 Q 384 768 358 793 Q 336 814 317 815 Q 298 816 304 794 Z", "M 270 394 Q 390 541 392 547 Q 391 551 391 554 Q 388 567 362 592 Q 337 613 319 615 Q 300 614 306 592 Q 315 564 297 525 Q 216 383 57 226 Q 47 216 44 211 Q 40 201 54 201 Q 96 207 242 361 L 270 394 Z", "M 242 361 Q 269 301 243 135 Q 219 53 262 8 Q 278 -8 290 18 Q 305 58 304 103 Q 303 280 308 319 Q 315 346 306 356 Q 282 381 270 394 C 250 416 231 389 242 361 Z", "M 497 763 Q 487 767 462 773 Q 450 776 447 771 Q 440 765 448 750 Q 476 689 490 589 Q 491 559 509 539 Q 525 518 531 533 Q 534 542 535 555 L 534 578 Q 525 638 524 644 L 521 669 Q 514 712 513 731 C 511 758 511 758 497 763 Z", "M 679 575 Q 697 550 713 541 Q 723 534 738 555 Q 750 574 774 683 Q 781 714 805 738 Q 817 750 806 763 Q 791 779 749 804 Q 731 813 668 797 Q 583 781 497 763 C 468 757 485 721 513 731 Q 540 744 681 763 Q 703 766 711 758 Q 721 746 720 734 Q 702 613 687 600 C 675 580 675 580 679 575 Z", "M 524 644 Q 525 644 529 644 Q 605 657 660 666 Q 681 670 673 681 Q 663 694 641 698 Q 607 701 521 669 C 493 659 494 644 524 644 Z", "M 535 555 Q 538 555 543 555 Q 621 568 679 575 C 709 579 713 586 687 600 Q 681 604 671 606 Q 647 609 534 578 C 505 570 505 555 535 555 Z", "M 700 457 Q 715 461 734 464 Q 768 471 775 477 Q 784 484 779 492 Q 772 504 744 511 Q 725 517 631 490 Q 537 472 497 468 Q 463 462 487 446 Q 523 425 609 441 Q 628 445 650 447 L 700 457 Z", "M 731 330 Q 809 336 935 335 Q 954 336 959 344 Q 965 356 948 370 Q 891 412 821 391 Q 781 385 733 374 L 669 363 Q 653 362 638 359 Q 514 341 368 322 Q 347 321 363 303 Q 396 275 432 284 Q 567 320 670 325 L 731 330 Z", "M 620 63 Q 595 67 565 73 Q 552 74 553 68 Q 554 59 566 51 Q 636 2 682 -38 Q 695 -48 708 -30 Q 747 27 741 109 Q 732 259 731 330 L 733 374 Q 733 384 734 392 Q 740 420 733 431 Q 726 443 700 457 C 674 473 641 476 650 447 Q 666 395 669 379 Q 669 372 669 363 L 670 325 Q 673 249 676 116 Q 676 77 664 63 Q 652 54 620 63 Z", "M 481 211 Q 506 181 532 146 Q 542 133 557 131 Q 567 130 573 141 Q 580 154 576 182 Q 575 203 546 223 Q 477 262 464 259 Q 460 256 459 244 Q 460 234 481 211 Z"]
- Meaning
- “得” is a very common character that often marks how well an action is done (placed after a verb, e.g., 跑得快 “run fast”) or introduces a result/possibility (e.g., 看得见 “can be seen”). It can also mean “to obtain/get” in some words (e.g., 得到 “to get”) and appears in fixed patterns like “得＋verb” to show necessity or permission in speech (e.g., 得去 “must go / have to go” in some dialects or casual use).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 5/9/2026, 2:27:27 AM
Usage
The character **得 (dé / de)** is very common in modern Chinese with a few main uses that learners meet early. As **dé (second tone)** it often means “to get; to obtain; to gain,” as in *得到* (to obtain), *获得* (to gain), or *得奖* (to win a prize). It also appears in many set phrases like *得了* (that’s enough / OK) and in patterns such as *值得* (“to be worth [doing]”). In this tone it usually functions as a verb or part of a verb, often related to achieving or receiving something. Even more common for learners is **得 as a structural particle (neutral tone “de”)** used after a verb or adjective to link it with a complement that describes how something is done or to what degree. The core pattern is **Verb + 得 + complement** or **Adjective + 得 + complement**, e.g. *说得很好* (“speak very well”), *跑得很快* (“run very fast”), *累得要命* (“so tired [that it’s killing me]”). In these cases, *得* doesn’t carry meaning by itself; it just connects the main word with the description of the result, manner, or degree. This structural use is one of the most frequent and important grammar points involving *得* in everyday Mandarin.
Handwriting Notes
得 in handwriting usually appears as a compact, slightly rectangular block with three clear parts: the left 彳 “step” component, the upper-right 旦‑like part (日 on top of 一), and the lower-right 寸. In natural writing, these parts often get squeezed closer together than in printed fonts, and the whole character may lean very slightly to the right. The left 彳 is typically written narrow and tall, while the right side looks like a stacked shape: a boxy top and a smaller “hooked” element below. Handwritten forms can vary in how open or closed the boxes are and how sharp or rounded the corners look. The 日 part on the right may be written with its internal line touching or almost touching the sides, or sometimes simplified into a more cursive, less boxy loop. The 寸 at the bottom can be quite compressed: the short horizontal and the small “dot” may look almost like a single tick, and the final vertical‑hook stroke often becomes a quick curve or hook. These variations, plus differences in slant and proportion, mean the same character can look quite different from one person to another, but the “彳 + (top box) + (small bottom unit)” layout remains recognizable. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are designed to handle this range of styles and still correctly identify 得 from handwritten input on touchscreens and digital pens.
Description
得 is a common Chinese character meaning “to obtain; to get” and is also used as a grammar particle. It often appears after a verb to introduce a complement of degree or result (e.g., 说得很好 “speak very well”). Its basic pronunciation in Mandarin is dé, with additional neutral-tone uses in grammar.