About
The character 掸 (dǎn), with its traditional form 撣, is a phono-semantic compound primarily used as a verb meaning to dust or brush off lightly. The left side features the hand radical 扌 (shǒu), linking it to manual actions, while the right side 单 (dān) provides the pronunciation. Originating from the quick, sweeping hand motions used to flick away dust or debris, it also developed as a noun for a feather duster. Semantically, it expanded to a specialized geographical and ethnographic term, pronounced 'shàn,' referring to the Shan people or Shan State in Southeast Asia.
Etymology Hide
