How is 代 pronounced?

代 is pronounced “dài” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 代?

代 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 代?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 代 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 3verbmeasure word

代

dài

代 (dài) means “to substitute; to act on behalf of others; to replace; generation; dynasty; age; period; (historical) era; (geological) eon”. It is an HSK 3 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 3 required

Example

这项技术已经更新换代了。

Zhè xiàng jìshù yǐjīng gēngxīn huàndài le.

This technology has been updated and replaced.

Words containing 代

代表dài biǎorepresentative; delegate; to represent; to stand for; on behalf of; in the name of 代替dài tìto replace; to take the place of 朝代cháo dàidynasty; reign (of a king)古代gǔ dàiancient times 代价dài jiàprice; cost; consideration (in share dealing)代理dài lǐto act on behalf of sb in a responsible position; to act as an agent or proxy; surrogate; (computing) proxy 当代dāng dàithe present age; the contemporary era 近代jìn dàithe not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades; (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919); capitalist times (pre-1949)年代nián dàia decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age; era; period 后代hòu dàidescendant; progeny; posterity; later ages; later generations 时代shí dàiTime, US weekly news magazine 交代jiāo dàito transfer (duties to sb else); to give instructions; to tell (sb to do sth); to explain; to give an account; to brief; to confess; to account for oneself; (jocular) to come to a bad end

More HSK 3 vocabulary

HSK 3 →

阿姨ā yímaternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker; nursemaid; woman of similar age to one's parents (term of address used by child)啊āinterjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh!矮ǎilow; short (in length)爱好ài hàoto like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby 安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm 把bǎto hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the object before the verb: 把 + {noun} + {verb})班bānsurname Ban 搬bānto move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately 办法bàn fǎmeans; method; way (of doing sth)办公室bàn gōng shìoffice; business premises; bureau 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half 帮忙bāng mángto help; to lend a hand; to do a favor; to do a good turn

Frequently asked questions

What does 代 mean?: 代 (dài) means “to substitute; to act on behalf of others; to replace; generation; dynasty; age; period; (historical) era; (geological) eon”. It is an HSK 3 word.
How is 代 pronounced?: 代 is pronounced “dài” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 代?: 代 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 代?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 代 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18