剥 meaning and stroke order
To peel; to skin; to shell
How to write 剥, stroke by stroke
10 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
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 剥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to peel
- to skin
- to shell
- to shuck
- to peel
- to skin
- to flay
- to shuck
How 剥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 录 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 剥
剥 has a knife 刂 on the right, which hints at cutting, and 录 on the left as the sound part. Picture a knife sliding along to peel the skin off fruit.
Use bāo in everyday spoken Chinese for peeling or shelling things like fruit, peanuts, or eggs. Use bō in compound words and formal writing, such as 剥削 (bōxuē) and 剥夺 (bōduó). Example: 我帮你剥橘子。(Wǒ bāng nǐ bāo júzi.) I'll peel the tangerine for you.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 剥 as bāo, but in formal compounds like 剥削 and 剥夺 it is bō. Also do not confuse the left part 录 with 彔 or write the right side as 力 instead of the knife 刂.
Common words with 剥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
剥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 剥
How many strokes are in 剥?
剥 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剥 mean?
剥 (bāo) means to peel; to skin; to shell. A common word with it is 剥夺 (bōduó), meaning "to deprive; to expropriate".
How do you pronounce 剥?
剥 has more than one reading: bāo and bō. The most common is bāo, said in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 剥?
The radical of 剥 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剥 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 剥?
The traditional form of 剥 is 剝. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 剥 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 剥 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 剥 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I know whether to say bāo or bō?
Say bāo when it stands alone as a verb in daily speech, like 剥香蕉 (bāo xiāngjiāo), to peel a banana. Say bō in literary or formal compound words, like 剥离 (bōlí) and 剥削 (bōxuē). 剥皮 is usually read bāopí in speech.
What is the difference between 剥 and 削 (xiāo) for peeling?
剥 means to pull or strip off a skin or shell, often by hand, as with oranges or peanuts. 削 (xiāo) means to pare with a knife, as with apples or potatoes, for example 削苹果 (xiāo píngguǒ).