Han character 丁

丁 takes different meanings from its word: in Chinese it can mean an adult man, worker, diced pieces, a small amount, or fourth place in a sequence. Japanese uses it in 丁寧 (ていねい), meaning “polite” or “careful.” Its proposed nail-or-peg origin is historical; Chinese writes the everyday object with 釘.

Text symbol

What 丁 means

The surrounding word determines which meaning fits. In Chinese, 丁 can refer to an adult man or worker, diced pieces, or a small amount. It also marks fourth place in the sequence 甲乙丙丁.

Japanese 丁寧 (ていねい) means “polite” or “careful”; the whole word carries that meaning, not a character-by-character translation.

Where does 丁 come from?

丁 developed through older Chinese writing. Forms linked to it appear in oracle-bone inscriptions, used for Shang royal divination around 1200 BCE, as well as bronze inscriptions and Chu slips, early writings on bamboo or wood.

One interpretation traces 丁 to a nail or peg. The sign was later adopted as the fourth Heavenly Stem, one of the traditional calendar signs; in Japanese this stem is called ひのと.

Why does 丁 look different?

A font can change the shape without changing the character. Chinese and Japanese font traditions may draw the same Han character differently; the text still contains 丁.

Who writes 丁

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Questions people ask

Why does 丁 show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.