木炭

mùtàn

noun #31,488

Meanings

1 charcoal
2 (art) charcoal stick

Characters

charcoal; carbon

Examples

HSK 5

烤肉要用木炭。

Kǎoròu yào yòng mùtàn.

Grilling meat requires charcoal.

HSK 7-9

她用木炭画了一幅素描。

Tā yòng mùtàn huà le yì fú sùmiáo.

She drew a sketch with charcoal.

Tips

memory

木 'wood' + 炭 'carbon/coal' = wood-charcoal, distinguishing it from 煤炭 (mineral coal) or 焦炭 (coke). The character 炭 carries 火 (fire) underneath - coal is what wood becomes after fire.

Stroke Order

木 mù

炭 tàn