(dàn) - but, however in Mandarin

dàn

Traditional: 但

#44 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

but, however

Test yourself on 但

Three quick questions. No account needed.

Know this word? Create a free account to track it.

Word origin

但 is a phono-semantic compound: 亻 (the person radical) gives a general human-action sense and 旦 (dàn) supplies the sound. It was borrowed as the adversative conjunction 'but, however'.

Origin: phono-semantic compound
Root: 亻 (rén, person radical) + 旦 (dàn, phonetic)

Stroke order

但

Examples

，。

I want to go, but I do not have time.

，。

He is very clever but does not work hard.

，。

It is expensive, but the thing is very good.

，。

He is tired, but is still pressing on.

，。

The matter is small, but very important.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Appears in 1 word

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 但.

但是dàn shìbut, however (formal)

Used in

Grammar articles

(12)

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

Meet this word in a story

Every course has graded stories written only with words you have been taught, plus grammar drills, a games arcade and printable worksheets. Chapters 1 and 2 are free.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

Mandarin · Free printables

但: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "但" (but, however): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 5: 但, 你们, 呢 and 7 more words.