答案

• Pinyin: dá àn
• Hanzi breakdown: 答 = 竹 (bamboo) + 合 (fit/join); 案 = 宀 (roof) + 女 (woman) + 木 (wood)

Meaning

Answer; solution. The response to a question or problem.

Used for answers to exam questions, puzzles, riddles, and also figuratively for solutions to life problems. Common in educational settings. Distinguished from 回答 (the act of answering) — 答案 is the content of the answer itself.

Examples

1. 这道题的答案到底是什么，我想了半天也想不出来。 What on earth is the answer to this question? I've been thinking for ages and can't figure it out.
2. 老师公布了考试的标准答案。 The teacher announced the standard answers to the exam.
3. 有些问题的答案不是非黑即白的，需要仔细思考。 The answers to some questions aren't black and white — they require careful thought.

Usage Guide

Context: education, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你知道第五题的答案吗？(Do you know the answer to question five?)
• 答案就在书的最后一页。(The answers are on the last page of the book.)

Don't Say

• 把答案和回答混用 (Don't confuse 答案 with 回答 — 答案 is the content of an answer; 回答 is the act of replying to someone)

Origin & History

答 (answer/reply) + 案 (desk/record/case) — originally an answer recorded on a desk or document, later generalised to any answer.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal