等
děng
- Pinyin
- děng
- Pinyin (Plain)
- deng
- Tone
- 3
- Strokes
- 12
- Radical
- 竹
- Readings
- děngdengTone: 3to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun)Order: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 348 756 Q 360 777 373 794 Q 383 806 369 819 Q 332 849 307 847 Q 297 844 298 831 Q 308 747 219 645 Q 210 642 181 603 Q 174 590 187 593 Q 203 596 224 612 Q 291 661 328 725 Q 328 726 330 728 L 348 756 Z", "M 330 728 Q 370 721 433 730 Q 508 743 510 744 Q 517 751 514 758 Q 508 768 484 775 Q 459 781 432 772 Q 410 765 384 761 Q 366 758 348 756 C 318 753 300 733 330 728 Z", "M 341 674 Q 377 619 398 615 Q 411 612 418 629 Q 419 641 413 660 Q 398 687 348 699 Q 339 700 337 690 Q 336 683 341 674 Z", "M 628 782 Q 641 806 657 825 Q 664 837 652 849 Q 616 874 594 872 Q 584 871 586 857 Q 601 788 533 709 Q 517 690 509 678 Q 502 665 515 670 Q 557 676 614 759 L 628 782 Z", "M 614 759 Q 653 744 712 757 Q 818 781 820 782 Q 827 789 823 797 Q 816 807 789 814 Q 770 817 684 792 Q 657 786 628 782 C 598 778 586 769 614 759 Z", "M 630 667 Q 655 648 680 623 Q 692 613 704 613 Q 713 614 717 625 Q 721 637 713 661 Q 709 677 682 690 Q 619 711 608 707 Q 604 703 605 693 Q 608 683 630 667 Z", "M 537 539 Q 676 572 679 573 Q 686 580 683 589 Q 676 599 648 607 Q 626 613 542 587 L 486 572 Q 429 562 365 556 Q 331 550 355 534 Q 392 513 462 525 Q 474 528 488 529 L 537 539 Z", "M 526 453 Q 530 498 537 539 L 542 587 Q 545 600 547 610 Q 550 619 552 626 Q 555 636 538 648 Q 510 664 488 668 Q 475 671 468 663 Q 461 657 468 644 Q 481 628 486 572 L 488 529 Q 489 492 490 448 C 491 418 523 423 526 453 Z", "M 585 424 Q 694 433 889 432 Q 910 432 915 441 Q 921 454 903 469 Q 843 515 777 496 Q 677 477 526 453 L 490 448 Q 318 429 117 404 Q 95 401 112 383 Q 127 368 146 362 Q 168 356 186 361 Q 370 412 544 421 L 585 424 Z", "M 619 286 Q 670 289 779 289 Q 798 289 803 298 Q 809 308 792 322 Q 735 364 668 343 Q 646 340 621 333 L 561 323 Q 527 319 487 311 Q 364 293 220 274 Q 199 271 215 255 Q 228 242 246 237 Q 267 231 282 236 Q 417 275 561 282 L 619 286 Z", "M 512 35 Q 496 39 473 44 Q 460 47 461 40 Q 461 33 472 23 Q 527 -26 562 -66 Q 574 -76 588 -60 Q 622 -11 624 90 Q 617 198 619 286 L 621 333 Q 621 346 623 359 Q 630 386 624 396 Q 615 409 585 424 C 559 438 534 449 544 421 Q 544 414 551 402 Q 560 378 561 323 L 561 282 Q 562 206 563 79 Q 562 46 551 34 Q 541 27 512 35 Z", "M 361 176 Q 379 152 398 124 Q 408 109 424 107 Q 434 106 441 117 Q 448 130 445 160 Q 444 178 418 195 Q 358 229 344 227 Q 340 224 338 212 Q 339 200 361 176 Z"]
- Meaning
- “等” most commonly means “to wait” (as in 等一下 “wait a moment”) and is also used to mark “etc.” or “and so on” at the end of a list (like in 苹果、香蕉等 “apples, bananas, etc.”). It can also mean “rank/level” (e.g., 等级 “grade; level”) and appears in some fixed expressions with related senses.
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/23/2026, 8:47:06 PM
Usage
The character 等 is very common and learners first meet it meaning “to wait” as a verb, as in 等一下 “wait a moment” or 等公交车 “wait for the bus.” It also appears in several everyday verbs and phrases like 等待 “to wait (more formal)” and 稍等 “please wait a bit.” In spoken Chinese, you’ll often hear it in requests or instructions, especially in service situations, phone calls, or casual conversation when asking someone to hold on or be patient. Another major use is as a noun or particle meaning “class; grade; rank; etc.” For example, 程度/水平/等级 use 等 or its compound to talk about “level” or “rank,” such as 优等 “excellent grade” or 一等座 “first-class seat.” In modern writing, 等 is also used after listing items to mean “and so on / etc.,” similar to “etc.” in English, as in 苹果、香蕉、橘子等 “apples, bananas, oranges, etc.” This “etc.” usage is extremely frequent in textbooks, example sentences, and everyday written Chinese.
Handwriting Notes
等 is visually balanced and fairly compact in handwriting, with a clear top–bottom structure. The top part ⺮ represents “bamboo” and typically looks like two short, slightly slanted strokes on each side, often simplified and compressed compared to printed fonts. The lower part 寺 sits more squarely and can look a bit wider than in print, with the vertical and horizontal strokes sometimes joined more fluidly, depending on the writer’s speed and style. Overall, handwritten 等 often appears less boxy than the printed form, with small curves at stroke ends and slight angle changes that give it a more rounded, flowing feel. Handwritten forms can vary in how clearly the bamboo radical is separated from 寺; some writers squeeze the top strokes closer together or write them more like quick ticks, and the inner components of 寺 may be connected or slightly shifted while remaining recognizable as a unit. Despite these variations, the contrast between the lighter, “spiky” top and the heavier, more rectangular bottom is usually preserved. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems, such as those in smartphone input methods and tablet note apps, are trained on many such variations of 等, enabling them to recognize the character even when it is written quickly, with simplified strokes, or in slightly personal styles.
Description
等 is a common character meaning “to wait” or “to wait for” (as in 等一下 “wait a moment”). It also means “class; rank; grade” in some contexts, and appears in 等等 to mean “etc.; and so on.”