段
grade, steps, stairs
Readings
On'yomi
- ダン
- タン
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
段 centers on a series of levels or divisions: steps in a staircase, grades in a ranking, or stages in a process.
Most common words using 段
20 of 234- 普段ふだんN3
usual; normal; everyday; habitual; ordinary
- 値段ねだんN4
price; cost
- 段階だんかいN2
stage; step; phase
- 手段しゅだんN3
means; way; measure
- 段だんN3
step; stair; rung; (flight of) steps
- 階段かいだんN5
stairs; stairway; staircase
- 段々だんだんN5
gradually; by degrees; little by little; more and more; increasingly
- 段ボールだんボールN2
(corrugated) cardboard
- 格段かくだん
dramatic (improvement); remarkable (difference); marked; noticeable
- 段差だんさ
difference in grades (e.g. in go, shoji, etc.)
- 下段げだん
lower tier; lower step; lower column; lower berth; bottom shelf
- 上段じょうだん
upper tier; upper section; upper deck; upper row; upper step; upper grade; upper berth; top shelf
- 段取りだんどりN1
programme; program; plans; arrangements
- 段落だんらくN2
paragraph
- 一段いちだんN2
even more; still more; much more; further
- 一段落いちだんらくN1
reaching a stopping place; settling down (before the next stage); getting to a point where one can rest; completing the first stage (of the work)
- 段位だんい
dan rank (in martial arts, go, etc.); advanced rank; grade of black belt
- 特段とくだん
exceptional; unusual; special
- 段違いだんちがい
wildly different (in ability, strength, etc.); on another level; in a different league; a world apart; far better
- 中段ちゅうだん
half-way up a slope or stairway; landing
Study
Etymology
段 is thought to combine 殳 (a hand holding a tool) with a left side that may represent a cliff or steps, suggesting a stepped or graded structure. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side looks like a staircase with two steps, and the right side 殳 is a hand with a tool. Imagine a worker using a tool to carve steps into a hillside, creating grades or stairs.
Reading mnemonic
For ダン, picture a set of stairs leading up to a stage where a dance performance is about to begin: dance -> ダン, and the stairs are the graded steps.