半 meaning and stroke order
Half; semi-; incomplete
How to write 半, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 半
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- half
- semi-
- incomplete
- (after a number) and a half
How 半 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A cow 牛 splitting 丷 wood in half.
Radical: 十 (ten), shared by 23 characters on this site.
How to remember 半
The bottom of 半 looks like 牛 (niú, cow), and the two dots 丷 on top look like something being split apart. Picture a cow splitting a log right down the middle into two halves.
半 (bàn) means half and goes before a measure word or noun, as in 半年 (bàn nián, half a year). After a number plus measure word it means "and a half": 一个半小时 (yí ge bàn xiǎoshí) is one and a half hours. Example: 我等了半个小时。(Wǒ děng le bàn ge xiǎoshí.) I waited half an hour.
Common mistake: Learners often put 半 in the wrong place: "one and a half hours" is 一个半小时, not 一半个小时. Also note the vertical stroke goes straight through the whole character, unlike 羊 (yáng), which has three horizontal strokes.
Common words with 半
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一半 | yībàn | half | HSK 1 |
| 半年 | bàn nián | half a year | HSK 1 |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time | HSK 1 |
| 半夜 | bànyè | midnight; in the middle of the night | HSK 2 |
| 多半 | duōbàn | most; mostly | HSK 6 |
| 半决赛 | bànjuésài | semifinals | HSK 6 |
| 半数 | bànshù | half the number; half | HSK 7-9 |
| 半岛 | bàndǎo | peninsula | HSK 7-9 |
| 半路 | bànlù | halfway; midway | HSK 7-9 |
| 半途而废 | bàntú'érfèi | to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished | HSK 7-9 |
| 半场 | bànchǎng | half of a game or contest; half-court | HSK 7-9 |
| 过半 | guòbàn | over fifty percent; more than half | HSK 7-9 |
| 半边天 | bànbiāntiān | half the sky; women of the new society | HSK 7-9 |
| 半信半疑 | bànxìn-bànyí | (idiom) half believing, half doubting; not quite convinced; skeptical | HSK 7-9 |
半 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 半
Learning 半 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 半
How many strokes are in 半?
半 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 半 mean?
半 (bàn) means half; semi-; incomplete. A common word with it is 一半 (yībàn), meaning "half".
How do you pronounce 半?
半 is pronounced bàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 半?
The radical of 半 is 十, which carries the idea of "ten". Dictionaries list 半 under this radical.
Is 半 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 半 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.
What is the difference between 半 and 一半?
半 attaches directly to a measure word or noun, like 半个苹果 (half an apple). 一半 (yībàn) works as a noun on its own, like 我吃了一半 (I ate half of it).
Does 半天 always mean half a day?
No. 半天 (bàntiān) can mean half a day, but in everyday speech it often means "a long time," as in 我等了半天 (I waited forever).