电
diàn
- Pinyin
- diàn
- Pinyin (Plain)
- dian
- Tone
- 4
- Strokes
- 5
- Radical
- 田
- Readings
- diàndianTone: 4lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etcOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 272 553 Q 244 569 214 577 Q 207 578 201 573 Q 192 566 203 554 Q 255 473 269 285 Q 270 222 312 187 Q 315 186 319 183 Q 338 177 339 213 Q 339 217 339 221 L 335 256 Q 308 376 296 514 C 294 541 294 541 272 553 Z", "M 614 250 Q 633 220 652 212 Q 665 202 683 228 Q 705 267 745 475 Q 755 512 783 542 Q 799 557 785 574 Q 766 593 716 625 Q 695 634 610 614 Q 603 614 498 594 L 445 585 Q 424 582 405 578 Q 332 563 272 553 C 242 548 267 505 296 514 Q 295 515 298 515 Q 356 533 445 548 L 496 557 Q 548 567 612 576 Q 657 583 671 567 Q 690 545 686 521 Q 647 301 624 286 C 609 260 608 259 614 250 Z", "M 491 397 Q 543 406 589 411 Q 614 414 605 428 Q 595 444 568 449 Q 526 456 492 440 L 443 428 Q 389 418 344 406 Q 326 402 347 386 Q 359 377 442 390 L 491 397 Z", "M 490 240 Q 544 247 614 250 C 644 251 646 266 624 286 Q 621 290 616 293 Q 600 302 490 280 L 437 270 Q 383 263 335 256 C 305 252 309 221 339 221 Q 346 220 358 222 Q 389 229 437 234 L 490 240 Z", "M 942 61 Q 921 119 913 220 Q 912 236 905 244 Q 898 251 892 235 Q 877 175 861 130 Q 854 99 825 81 Q 791 44 630 46 Q 569 52 545 64 Q 526 77 513 101 Q 494 141 490 240 L 490 280 Q 490 344 491 397 L 492 440 Q 493 506 496 557 L 498 594 Q 504 682 515 724 Q 522 746 492 769 Q 467 785 445 797 Q 426 810 408 798 Q 396 792 418 763 Q 443 729 444 680 Q 445 647 445 585 L 445 548 Q 444 496 443 428 L 442 390 Q 441 368 441 344 Q 438 304 437 270 L 437 234 Q 437 101 490 40 Q 544 -21 756 -10 Q 850 -6 920 27 Q 953 36 942 61 Z"]
- Meaning
- “电” most commonly means “electricity” or “electric,” and appears in words like “电话” (telephone) and “电脑” (computer). It can also refer more generally to lightning or electric phenomena in nature.
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:18:01 PM
Usage
“电” (diàn) most basically means “electricity” and appears extremely often in modern, everyday words related to electrical power and electronic technology. Learners first see it in core terms like 电话 (diànhuà, telephone), 电脑 (diànnǎo, computer), 电视 (diànshì, television), and 电影 (diànyǐng, film, literally “electric shadow”). It can also refer directly to electrical power itself, as in 没电了 (“there’s no power / the battery is dead”) or 充电 (“to charge,” as in charging a phone or battery). Beyond devices, “电” extends to anything powered by electricity: 电车 (diànchē, tram or trolleybus in some regions), 电梯 (diàntī, elevator), 电灯 (diàndēng, electric light), and 电池 (diànchí, battery). It also appears in more specialized but still common words like 电子 (diànzǐ, electronic), 电力 (diànlì, electric power), and 来电/去电 (incoming/outgoing call). In all of these, learners can usually understand “电” as “electric,” “electrical,” or “electronic,” and that sense remains very consistent across modern usage.
Handwriting Notes
电 in handwriting is a compact, roughly square character that feels visually “heavy” at the top and more open at the bottom. In regular handwritten styles, people usually write it with a clear horizontal top and a central vertical element, with the lower part forming a simple enclosure-like shape rather than a fully closed box. Compared with printed fonts, handwritten 电 often looks more rounded and slightly compressed; the lines may curve a bit, and corners can be less sharp. Some writers merge or shorten certain parts, so the central vertical or the small inner angles may be less distinct, but the overall blocky top plus simpler bottom still makes it recognizable. Because personal handwriting can be messy, slanted, or stylized, modern AI handwriting recognition systems are commonly used to recognize 电 (and other Chinese characters) from touchscreens, digital pens, or scanned notes, learning to handle these small variations in shape and proportion.
Description
电 is a simplified Chinese character meaning “electricity” or “electric.” It appears in many modern words related to electrical power or electronic devices, such as 电话 (telephone) and 电脑 (computer).
Common Words
- 电dian4lightning
- 电离dian4 li2ion
- 电线dian4 xian4wire
- 电邮dian4 you2email
- 电压dian4 ya1voltage
Example Sentences
我喜欢电。
wo3 xi3 huan5 dian4
I like lightning.
电离很常见。
dian4 li2 hen3 chang2 jian4
电离 is very common.
我们在学习电线。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 dian4 xian4
We are learning wire.
这个电邮很重要。
zhe4 ge5 dian4 you2 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This email is important.
请写一下“电”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 dian4
Please write '电'.