佈 meaning and stroke order
To spread, to publicize, to announce
How to write 佈, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
Meaning of 佈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 布[bu4]
- to announce
- to spread
How 佈 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 making an announcement 布; 布 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 佈
A person 亻 stands beside a cloth 布 (bù) and spreads it out for everyone to see, like posting a notice. That is the idea of spreading and announcing.
佈 is a variant of 布 used for the verb senses of spreading, arranging and announcing. It appears mostly in traditional Chinese texts, especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan, while mainland simplified Chinese writes 布 for all senses. Example: 政府公佈了新政策。(Zhèngfǔ gōngbù le xīn zhèngcè.) The government announced a new policy.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 佈 for the noun meaning cloth, as in 布料 (bùliào). Even in traditional writing, cloth is written 布, and 佈 is only for verb senses like 佈置 (bùzhì) and 分佈 (fēnbù).
Common words with 佈
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 公佈 | gōngbù | to announce; to make public; to publish | HSK 3 |
| 佈置 | bùzhì | to arrange; to set up; to lay out; to assign (tasks, homework etc) | HSK 4 |
| 分佈 | fēnbù | to scatter; to distribute | HSK 4 |
| 散佈 | sànbù | to disseminate | HSK 7-9 |
| 佈局 | bùjú | arrangement; composition | HSK 7-9 |
| 佈雷 | bùléi | to lay mines | |
| 佈道 | bùdào | sermon; to sermonize | |
| 佈景 | bùjǐng | (stage) set | |
| 開誠佈公 | kāichéngbùgōng | lit. deal sincerely and fairly (idiom); frank and open-minded; plain speaking |
Questions about 佈
How many strokes are in 佈?
佈 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 佈 mean?
佈 (bù) means to spread, to publicize, to announce. A common word with it is 公布 (gōngbù), meaning "to announce; to make public; to publish".
How do you pronounce 佈?
佈 is pronounced bù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 佈?
The radical of 佈 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 佈 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 佈?
佈 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 布, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Should I write 佈 or 布 in simplified Chinese?
In simplified Chinese, always write 布. 佈 was merged into 布, so words like 公布 and 布置 use 布 on the mainland.
Is 佈 pronounced differently from 布?
No. Both are pronounced bù with the fourth tone. The 布 part on the right gives the sound.