呆

Tap the pinyin to hear it

foolish; stupid; expressionless; blank; variant of 待[dai1]

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

One with wooden 木 speech 口

Components 口木

dim-witted · Heisig RSH #209

木 tree + 口 mouth

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
呆会儿	dāi huì r	variant of 待會兒\|待会儿[dai1 hui4 r5]
书呆子	shū dāi zi	bookworm; pedant; bookish fool
天然呆	tiān rán dāi	(loanword from Japanese "tennen boke") space cadet; muddleheaded
老年性痴呆症	lǎo nián xìng chī dāi zhèng	senile dementia
呆若木鸡	dāi ruò mù jī	lit. dumb as a wooden chicken (idiom); fig. dumbstruck
老年痴呆症	lǎo nián chī dāi zhèng	senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease
呆子	dāi zi	fool; sucker
发呆	fā dāi	to stare blankly; to be stunned; to be lost in thought
早老性痴呆	zǎo lǎo xìng chī dāi	(coll.) Alzheimer's disease
呆头呆脑	dāi tóu dāi nǎo	oafish; dull-witted
老年痴呆	lǎo nián chī dāi	senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease
呆板	dāi bǎn	stiff; inflexible; also pr. [ai2 ban3]
目光呆滞	mù guāng dāi zhì	to have a lifeless look in one's eyes (idiom)
呆根	dāi gēn	(literary) idiot
防呆	fáng dāi	(manufacturing) poka-yoke; mistake-proofing
看呆	kàn dāi	to gape at; to stare blankly; to stare in rapture; to stare in awe
呆住	dāi zhù	to be dumbfounded; to be astonished
矮呆病	ǎi dāi bìng	cretinism
惊呆	jīng dāi	stupefied; stunned
呆站	dāi zhàn	to stand idly

These characters use 呆 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
呆 sound part	dāi	dull, simple, stupid
保	bǎo	to safeguard, to protect, to defend, to care for