Name Shapes
Shapes have special names based on their sides, corners, and whether they are flat (2D) or solid (3D). 2D shapes can be drawn on paper — they are flat. 3D shapes are solid objects you can hold.
Worked examples
What is this shape?
Count the sides: this shape has 3 straight sides and 3 corners. That makes it a triangle. Triangles are 2D — they are flat.
Answer: Triangle
What is this shape?
Count the sides: this shape has 6 straight sides and 6 corners. That makes it a hexagon. A honeycomb is made of hexagons!
Answer: Hexagon
What is this 3D shape?
A cube is a solid 3D shape with 6 flat square faces, 8 corners, and 12 edges. It looks like a dice or a building block. It is NOT flat.
Answer: Cube
What is this 3D shape?
A cone has a flat circular base and comes to a point at the top. Think of a party hat or an ice cream cone. It is a solid 3D shape.
Answer: Cone
Is this shape 2D or 3D?
A circle is a 2D shape. It is perfectly round with no corners or sides. It is flat — you can draw it on paper.
Answer: 2D — flat
Is this shape 2D or 3D?
A cylinder is a 3D shape. It has two flat circular ends and a curved side — like a tin can or a drum. It is solid, not flat.
Answer: 3D — solid
Tips
- •Count the sides: 3 = triangle, 4 = square or rectangle, 5 = pentagon, 6 = hexagon.
- •2D shapes are flat — circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon.
- •3D shapes are solid — cube, sphere, cone, cylinder, pyramid.
- •A square is a special rectangle where all 4 sides are the same length.
- •If you can pick it up and hold it, it's a 3D shape. If you can only draw it, it's 2D.