婆 meaning and stroke order
Old woman; grandmother
How to write 婆, stroke by stroke
11 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 婆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) grandmother
- (bound form) matron
- (bound form) mother-in-law
- (slang) femme (in a lesbian relationship)
How 婆 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 波 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 婆
婆 (pó) is a woman 女 (nǚ) sitting under 波 (bō, wave), which gives the sound. Picture an old woman whose face has wrinkles like little waves.
婆 rarely stands alone. It appears in family words like 外婆 (wàipó, maternal grandmother) and 婆婆 (pópo, husband's mother), and in the everyday word for wife, 老婆 (lǎopo). Example: 我老婆做饭很好吃。(Wǒ lǎopo zuòfàn hěn hǎochī.) My wife cooks really well.
Common mistake: Learners often think 老婆 (lǎopo) means old woman. It actually means wife. In 老婆 the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, not a full second tone. For an old woman, use 老太太 (lǎotàitai) instead.
Common words with 婆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 老婆 | lǎopo | (coll.) wife | HSK 4 |
| 外婆 | wàipó | (coll.) mother's mother; maternal grandmother | HSK 7-9 |
| 巫婆 | wūpó | witch; sorceress | HSK 7-9 |
| 婆婆 | pópo | husband's mother; mother-in-law | |
| 老太婆 | lǎotàipó | old woman (at times contemptuous) | |
| 婆娘 | póniang | (dialect) wife; (derog.) woman | |
| 阿婆 | āpó | granny; mother-in-law | |
| 八婆 | bāpó | meddling woman; nosy parker (Cantonese) | |
| 男人婆 | nánrénpó | tomboy | |
| 姨婆 | yípó | (strictly speaking) sister of one's maternal grandmother; (more broadly) grandaunt; sister | |
| 婆婆妈妈 | pópomāmā | effeminate; old-womanish | |
| 富婆 | fùpó | wealthy woman |
婆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 婆
How many strokes are in 婆?
婆 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 婆 mean?
婆 (pó) means old woman; grandmother. A common word with it is 老婆 (lǎopo), meaning "(coll.) wife".
How do you pronounce 婆?
婆 is pronounced pó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 婆?
The radical of 婆 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 婆 under this radical.
Is 婆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 婆 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 婆婆 and 外婆?
婆婆 (pópo) usually means a woman's mother-in-law, her husband's mother. 外婆 (wàipó) is your mother's mother. In some southern regions 婆婆 can also mean grandmother, so context matters.
Is it rude to call someone 婆?
It depends on the word. 外婆 and 阿婆 (āpó, granny) are warm. 老太婆 can sound contemptuous, and 八婆 (bāpó) is an insult for a nosy woman.