八 meaning and stroke order
Eight
How to write 八, stroke by stroke
2 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
- 2
Meaning of 八
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- eight
How 八 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two bent lines meaning "to divide".
How to remember 八
八 (bā) is two strokes bending away from each other, like something being split down the middle. The hint says these two bent lines mean "to divide," and eight is a number you can keep dividing in half: 8, 4, 2, 1.
八 is the everyday word for the number eight and appears in dates, prices and phone numbers. It also shows up in many idioms with 七 (qī) to mean messy or all over the place. Example: 我八点上班。(Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān.) I start work at eight o'clock.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 八 (bā) with 人 (rén, person) and 入 (rù, to enter), which look similar. In 八 the two strokes do not touch at the top, while in 人 and 入 they meet.
Common words with 八
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 乱七八糟 | luànqībāzāo | (idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled | HSK 7-9 |
| 八卦 | bāguà | the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易經|易经[Yi4 jing1]; gossip | HSK 7-9 |
| 四面八方 | sìmiàn-bāfāng | (idiom) all directions; all around | HSK 7-9 |
| 七嘴八舌 | qīzuǐ-bāshé | lively discussion with everybody talking at once | HSK 7-9 |
| 横七竖八 | héngqī-shùbā | in disorder; at sixes and sevens (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 五花八门 | wǔhuā-bāmén | myriad; all kinds of | HSK 7-9 |
| 王八蛋 | wángbādàn | bastard; son of a bitch | |
| 胡说八道 | húshuōbādào | to talk rubbish | |
| 十八 | shíbā | eighteen; 18 | |
| 三八 | sānbā | International Women's Day 婦女節|妇女节[Fu4 nu:3 jie2], 8th March; foolish | |
| 八成 | bāchéng | eighty percent; most probably | |
| 王八 | wángba | softshell turtle; cuckold | |
| 八十 | bāshí | eighty; 80 | |
| 丑八怪 | chǒubāguài | ugly person |
八 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 八
Learning 八 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 八
How many strokes are in 八?
八 is written with 2 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 八 mean?
八 (bā) means eight. A common word with it is 乱七八糟 (luànqībāzāo), meaning "(idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled".
How do you pronounce 八?
八 is pronounced bā, in the first tone (high and level).
Is 八 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 八 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Does the tone of 八 change like 一 and 不?
In standard Mandarin 八 is normally just first tone, bā. Some speakers say it with a second tone before a fourth-tone syllable, as in 八个 (bá ge). This is optional, and textbooks usually keep it as bā.
Why is 八 considered a lucky number in China?
八 (bā) sounds similar to 发 (fā), as in 发财 (fācái, to get rich). Because of this, people like phone numbers, addresses and prices with many 8s. The Beijing Olympics opened at 8:08 pm on 8/8/2008.