点
diǎn
- Pinyin
- diǎn
- Pinyin (Plain)
- dian
- Tone
- 3
- Strokes
- 9
- Radical
- 火
- Readings
- diǎndianTone: 3to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops; to light (a fire, a lamp etc); to ignite; to nod (one's head) in agreement; to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down; point; dot; spot; speck; dot stroke in Chinese characters; (math.) decimal point; point in time or space; (after a number) o'clock; a small amount; a bit; (after a verb or adjective) a bit more; classifier for small amountsOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 533 507 Q 537 564 541 618 L 543 649 Q 546 728 560 775 Q 563 785 543 800 Q 507 819 482 823 Q 466 826 458 817 Q 451 810 459 794 Q 478 769 479 752 Q 491 637 491 500 C 491 470 531 477 533 507 Z", "M 541 618 Q 547 617 559 618 Q 656 634 728 643 Q 756 647 745 663 Q 733 679 703 685 Q 672 691 543 649 C 514 640 511 620 541 618 Z", "M 379 486 Q 364 492 334 497 Q 321 501 317 495 Q 310 489 319 471 Q 347 413 363 317 Q 366 289 382 269 Q 401 244 408 262 Q 411 271 412 283 L 410 323 L 410 324 Q 397 417 394 449 C 391 479 391 482 379 486 Z", "M 690 349 Q 715 430 750 455 Q 769 474 753 495 Q 675 556 614 530 Q 571 517 533 507 L 491 500 Q 436 491 379 486 C 349 483 364 445 394 449 Q 425 452 612 483 Q 637 487 646 477 Q 655 470 654 450 Q 647 401 638 359 C 632 330 681 320 690 349 Z", "M 412 283 Q 422 282 436 283 Q 521 299 704 308 Q 717 309 719 319 Q 719 328 690 349 L 638 359 Q 634 360 628 358 Q 507 333 410 323 C 380 320 382 284 412 283 Z", "M 260 218 Q 224 154 178 99 Q 151 63 166 27 Q 172 8 196 17 Q 221 32 242 64 Q 272 110 280 152 Q 290 186 286 215 Q 282 225 275 226 Q 266 226 260 218 Z", "M 378 181 Q 394 135 412 89 Q 422 64 439 57 Q 452 50 467 66 Q 474 79 473 103 Q 470 128 447 153 Q 413 193 394 206 Q 385 212 379 201 Q 375 194 378 181 Z", "M 547 196 Q 583 84 614 69 Q 627 62 642 78 Q 649 91 648 118 Q 644 145 619 168 Q 582 211 563 223 Q 553 229 548 216 Q 542 209 547 196 Z", "M 711 213 Q 769 149 835 57 Q 851 33 867 27 Q 876 24 885 35 Q 901 48 892 97 Q 883 160 716 247 Q 706 254 703 240 Q 702 225 711 213 Z"]
- Meaning
- “点” literally means “dot” or “point,” and is used for small spots or marks (like a dot in writing, a spot of color, a decimal point). It also commonly means “a little bit” (as in a small amount of something), “o’clock” for telling time, and “to order” (as in ordering food in a restaurant).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:18:01 PM
Usage
The character 点 (diǎn) is very common in everyday Chinese and is usually first learned with the meaning “dot” or “point.” It literally refers to a small mark or spot (e.g., punctuation marks, dots on a screen, or dots in written characters). From this core idea come meanings like “o’clock” when telling time (三点 = three o’clock), a “decimal point” in numbers, and “point” in the sense of a score or mark. It also appears in many measure-word-like uses, such as “a bit / a little” (一点/一点儿) and “a drop” (一点评), keeping the sense of a small amount. Learners also quickly see 点 used as a verb and in common phrases. As a verb it can mean “to order” food or drinks (点菜, 点咖啡), “to light” (点火 = to light a fire), or “to click” in digital contexts (点击, 点一下). In conversation, 点 shows up in many everyday expressions: 请你帮我点一下 (please help me click/choose), 有一点儿贵 (it’s a little expensive), or 点名 (to call the roll, literally “point out names”). Overall, most beginner and intermediate encounters with 点 rotate around “small point/amount,” “time (o’clock),” and “to order/click/light.”
Handwriting Notes
点 in handwriting usually looks a bit more compact and rounded than in printed fonts: the top “dot” and short horizontal often merge into a small, slanted hook-like shape, and the enclosing 口 at the bottom is often slightly open on one side rather than a perfect box. The inner stroke (the short vertical in the middle) may be quite small and sometimes seems to “lean” toward the lower right. Overall, the character tends to flow diagonally from top left to bottom right, giving it a dynamic, slightly tilted appearance rather than a rigid, upright block. Handwritten forms can vary in how clearly each part is separated: in quick writing, the top components may be compressed so they almost look like a single curved stroke, and the bottom box may become more like a wide “U” or a shallow rectangle. In more careful handwriting, you can clearly see a top dot-like stroke, a short horizontal, a central vertical, and the surrounding box, each with distinct angles and endpoints. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such variations, so they can usually recognize 点 even when it’s written quickly, with rounded corners, or with slightly merged strokes, as long as the overall proportion (top component over a box-like bottom) and general shape remain recognizable.
Description
点 is a common Chinese character meaning “dot,” “point,” or “o’clock” (as in telling time). It is also used to mean “to order (food),” “to light” (e.g., a lamp), or “a little bit” in some expressions.