炭

tàn

CL 堆 duī 块 kuài 袋 dài

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Uncommon

Definitions

1. wood charcoal
2. coal

Character focus

Stroke order

9 strokes

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Word relationships

Related words

3 items

• 煤 méi 煤 méi coal 煤 refers to mineral coal, while 炭 can mean charcoal or coal in broader contexts.: coal
• 木炭 mù tàn 木炭 mù tàn charcoal 木炭 specifically means wood charcoal, a subtype of 炭.: charcoal
• 碳 tàn 碳 tàn carbon (chemistry) 碳 means carbon the chemical element, distinct from 炭 which is a fuel material.: carbon (chemistry)

Usage notes

Collocations

炭 is often used in compound words like 煤炭 (coal) or 炭火 (charcoal fire), but rarely alone in modern Chinese.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse 炭 (charcoal/coal) with 碳 (carbon). 二氧化碳 (CO₂) uses 碳, not 炭.

Example Sentences

1 shown

这块 炭 烧得很旺。

This piece of charcoal is burning brightly.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 炭

• 煤炭 煤炭 méi tàn: coal
• 冰炭不相容 冰炭不相容 bīng tàn bù xiāng róng: as incompatible or irreconcilable as ice and hot coals
• 涂炭 涂炭 tú tàn: extreme distress
• 木炭 木炭 mù tàn: charcoal
• 泥炭 泥炭 ní tàn: peat
• 泥炭藓 泥炭藓 ní tàn xiǎn: matted sphagnum moss (Sphagnum palustre)
• 活性炭 活性炭 huó xìng tàn: activated carbon
• 火炭 火炭 huǒ tàn: Fo Tan (area in Hong Kong)
• 炭墼 炭墼 tàn jī: coal briquette
• 炭焙 炭焙 tàn bèi: charcoal-roasted
• 炭疽 炭疽 tàn jū: (medicine) anthrax
• 炭疽杆菌 炭疽杆菌 tàn jū gǎn jūn: anthrax bacterium (Bacillus anthracis)
• 炭疽热 炭疽热 tàn jū rè: anthrax
• 炭疽病 炭疽病 tàn jū bìng: (medicine) anthrax
• 炭疽菌苗 炭疽菌苗 tàn jū jūn miáo: anthrax vaccine
• 无烟炭 无烟炭 wú yān tàn: smokeless coal
• 烧炭 烧炭 shāo tàn: to manufacture charcoal
• 生灵涂炭 生灵涂炭 shēng líng tú tàn: people are in a terrible situation (idiom)
• 石炭井 石炭井 shí tàn jǐng: Shitanjing subdistrict of Dawukou district 大武口區|大武口区[dà wǔ kǒu qū] of Shizuishan city 石嘴山市[shí zuǐ shān shì], Ningxia
• 石炭井区 石炭井区 shí tàn jǐng qū: Shitanjing subdistrict of Dawukou district 大武口區|大武口区[dà wǔ kǒu qū] of Shizuishan city 石嘴山市[shí zuǐ shān shì], Ningxia
• 石炭系 石炭系 shí tàn xì: carboniferous system
• 石炭纪 石炭纪 shí tàn jì: Carboniferous (geological period 354-292m years ago)
• 石炭酸 石炭酸 shí tàn suān: phenol C6H5OH
• 艾炭 艾炭 ài tàn: carbonized mugwort leaf (TCM)
• 艾叶炭 艾叶炭 ài yè tàn: Folium Artemisiae argyi carbonisatum
• 苍生涂炭 苍生涂炭 cāng shēng tú tàn: the common people in a miserable state
• 透皮炭疽 透皮炭疽 tòu pí tàn jū: cutaneous anthrax
• 雪中送炭 雪中送炭 xuě zhōng sòng tàn: lit. to send charcoal in snowy weather (idiom)
• 骨炭 骨炭 gǔ tàn: bone black
• 黑炭 黑炭 hēi tàn: coal