Radical 小

6 strokes

當

small 小 (50) + snout (267a) = act as 当

The top three strokes are a distorted version of “small” (Character 50).

The character means “to act as” and also “to regard as”.

当然 (266) dāngrán of course

[当前 (90) dāngqián now, at present]

[当地 (54) dāngdì local; at that place]

[当做 (210) dāngzuò regard as, treat as]

[当时 (105) dāngshí at that time]

[当年 (168) dāngnián then; in those years]

They look like small snouts, but act as gasmasks. / The giant is handing them out; he has them all dangling from his fingers.