钝 (dùn) · blunt; dull (not sharp)

Meanings

1 blunt; dull (not sharp)
2 slow-witted; obtuse

Characters

钝

dùn

blunt; dull; slow

Examples

HSK 5

这把刀太钝了，切不动。

Zhè bǎ dāo tài dùn le, qiēbudòng.

This knife is too dull; it can't cut anything.

HSK 5

他反应有点迟钝。

Tā fǎnyìng yǒudiǎn chídùn.

He's a bit slow to react.

HSK 5

钝器造成的伤害。

Dùnqì zàochéng de shānghài.

Injury caused by a blunt instrument.

Tips

usage

钝 is the opposite of 锋利 ('sharp') for physical objects, and the opposite of 敏锐 ('keen/sharp') for the mind. Common compounds: 迟钝 ('slow/sluggish'), 钝器 ('blunt object'), 愚钝 ('dull-witted').

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal (radical form of 金)

Left-side metal radical, the side form of 金. Indexes 钝 in the metal-quality family alongside 锋 ('sharp edge'), 铁 ('iron'), 锐 ('keen'). A dull blade is a metal edge that has lost its bite; the radical names the substance whose sharpness is being judged.

phonetic

屯 tún

stockpile; encamp (here phonetic)

Right side 屯 supplies the sound: tún drifted to dùn with t/d alternation. 屯 originally pictured a sprout pushing through soil with difficulty, the slow stuck quality of which faintly suits the dullness of a worn blade. The same phonetic anchors 顿 ('to pause'), also reading dùn.