博 meaning and stroke order
To gamble, to play games; to win; rich, plentiful, extensive; wide, broad
How to write 博, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 博
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) abundant; plentiful; extensive; wide
- to win; to gain
- to play; to gamble
- learned; well-read
- (bound form) doctoral degree (abbr. for 博士[bo2 shi4])
- (bound form) blog (abbr. for 博客[bo2 ke4])
How 博 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ten.
十 gives the meaning and 尃 hints at the sound.
Radical: 十 (ten), shared by 23 characters on this site.
How to remember 博
博 is built from 十 (shí, ten) on the left, giving the meaning, and 尃 (fū) on the right, giving the sound. Think of 十 as "ten of everything," so a person who knows ten of everything is broad and learned.
博 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words about breadth of knowledge, like 博士 (bóshì, PhD) and 博物馆 (bówùguǎn, museum), and in internet words like 博客 (bókè, blog) and 微博 (wēibó, microblog). Example: 我周末去博物馆。(Wǒ zhōumò qù bówùguǎn.) I am going to the museum this weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 博 with 搏 (bó, to fight, to struggle) and 薄 (báo or bó, thin), which share the same right side. Remember that 博 has 十 on the left, 搏 has the hand radical 扌, and 薄 has grass on top.
Common words with 博
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 博士 | bóshì | doctor (as an academic degree); (old) person specialized in a skill or trade | HSK 5 |
| 博物馆 | bówùguǎn | museum | HSK 5 |
| 博客 | bókè | (loanword) a blog; a blogger | HSK 5 |
| 微博 | wēibó | microblogging; microblog | HSK 5 |
| 博览会 | bólǎnhuì | an exposition; an international fair | HSK 5 |
| 赌博 | dǔbó | to gamble | HSK 6 |
| 博士学位 | bóshìxuéwèi | doctoral degree; PhD | |
| 博物 | bówù | natural science | |
| 博学 | bóxué | learned; erudite | |
| 博爱 | Bó'ài | to show love and compassion for all humankind | |
| 博得 | bódé | to win; to gain | |
| 博取 | bóqǔ | to win (favors, confidence etc) |
博 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 博
How many strokes are in 博?
博 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 博 mean?
博 (bó) means to gamble, to play games; to win; rich, plentiful, extensive; wide, broad. A common word with it is 博士 (bóshì), meaning "doctor (as an academic degree); (old) person specialized in a skill or trade".
How do you pronounce 博?
博 is pronounced bó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 博?
The radical of 博 is 十, which carries the idea of "ten". Dictionaries list 博 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 博?
The traditional form of 博 is 愽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 博 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 博 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 博 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Does 博 mean gambling or knowledge?
It can mean both, depending on the word. In 赌博 (dǔbó) it means to gamble, but in most common words like 博士 and 博学 (bóxué, learned) it means broad or extensive.
Why is 博 used for blogs?
博客 (bókè) is a loanword chosen because it sounds like "blog." The sound was picked partly because 博 also suggests wide knowledge, so 博 now works as a short form for blog, as in 微博 (wēibó).