胆

Tap the pinyin to hear it

gall bladder; courage; guts; gall; inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos)

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

⺼ meaning “flesh” + 旦 sound ( dàn )

Components ⺼旦

gall bladder · Heisig RSH #1503

flesh + 旦 daybreak

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

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

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
有色无胆	yǒu sè wú dǎn	to be perverse and suggestive towards the opposite sex, but shrinking back when provoked t…
胆大包天	dǎn dà bāo tiān	reckless; extremely daring
色胆包天	sè dǎn bāo tiān	outrageously bold in one's lust; debauched (idiom)
有胆量	yǒu dǎn liàng	courageous
一身是胆	yī shēn shì dǎn	devoid of fear (idiom); intrepid
狗胆包天	gǒu dǎn bāo tiān	extremely daring (idiom); foolhardy
胆红素	dǎn hóng sù	bilirubin
胆结石	dǎn jié shí	gallstone
胆色素	dǎn sè sù	bilirubin
明目张胆	míng mù zhāng dǎn	openly and without fear; brazenly
心惊胆战	xīn jīng dǎn zhàn	lit. heart alarmed, trembling in fear (idiom); prostrate with fear; scared witless
胆战心惊	dǎn zhàn xīn jīng	to tremble with fear (idiom); scared witless
胆石症	dǎn shí zhèng	gallstone
胆子	dǎn zi	courage; nerve; guts
大胆	dà dǎn	brazen; audacious; outrageous; bold; daring; fearless
胆大	dǎn dà	daring; bold; audacious
心胆	xīn dǎn	courage
胆儿	dǎn r	see 膽子\|胆子[dan3 zi5]
胆小	dǎn xiǎo	cowardice; timid
海胆	hǎi dǎn	(zoology) sea urchin

Characters sharing the sound component 旦 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
旦 sound part	dàn	dawn; morning; day
量	liáng	measure, volume; amount, quantity
坦	tǎn	flat, level, smooth; candid, open
担	dān	to bear, to carry; burden, responsibility
但	dàn	only; but, however, yet, still
袒	tǎn	to strip, to bare
疸	dǎn	jaundice; stomach disorder
靼	dá	the Tartars
怛	dá	grieving; worried
亶	dǎn	real, sincere, true; truth
妲	dá	concubine of the last Shang emperor
笪	dá	a coarse mat of rushes or bamboo
钽	tǎn	tantalum