报 meaning and stroke order
To report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2])
How to write 报, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 报
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to report; to inform; to announce
- to respond; to reply
- to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2])
- to reward; to recompense
- to take revenge; to retaliate
- newspaper
How 报 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 扌 cuffing 又 a criminal 卩, representing sentencing.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 报
A hand 扌 grabs 又 a kneeling criminal 卩 to deliver his sentence, so 报 (bào) means to announce or report a judgment. Think of the official who reports the verdict, and of the payback the criminal receives.
报 (bào) rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually appears in words like 报纸 (bàozhǐ, newspaper), 报名 (bàomíng, to sign up), and 天气预报 (tiānqì yùbào, weather forecast). Example: 我想报名参加比赛。(Wǒ xiǎng bàomíng cānjiā bǐsài.) I want to sign up for the competition.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 报道 (bàodào, to report news) and 报到 (bàodào, to check in or report for duty), which sound exactly the same. Another common slip is writing 服 (fú) instead, since it shares the same right side 卩又.
Common words with 报
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 报纸 | bàozhǐ | newspaper; newsprint | HSK 2 |
| 报名 | bàomíng | to sign up; to enter one's name | HSK 2 |
| 日报 | rìbào | daily newspaper | HSK 2 |
| 晚报 | wǎnbào | evening newspaper; (in a newspaper's name) Evening News | HSK 2 |
| 报告 | bàogào | to inform; to report | HSK 3 |
| 报道 | bàodào | to report (news); report | HSK 3 |
| 报到 | bàodào | to report for duty; to check in | HSK 3 |
| 预报 | yùbào | forecast | HSK 3 |
| 汇报 | huìbào | to report; to give an account of | HSK 4 |
| 报警 | bàojǐng | to sound an alarm; to report sth to the police | HSK 5 |
| 回报 | huíbào | (in) return; reciprocation | HSK 5 |
| 报答 | bàodá | to repay; to requite | HSK 5 |
| 海报 | hǎibào | poster; playbill | HSK 6 |
| 通报 | tōngbào | to inform; to notify | HSK 6 |
报 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 报
How many strokes are in 报?
报 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 报 mean?
报 (bào) means to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2]). A common word with it is 报纸 (bàozhǐ), meaning "newspaper; newsprint".
How do you pronounce 报?
报 is pronounced bào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 报?
The radical of 报 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 报 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 报?
The traditional form of 报 is 報. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 报 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 报 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 报 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do you say to take revenge using 报?
Use 报仇 (bàochóu), to avenge or take revenge. A related idiom is 报复 (bàofù), to retaliate. Both carry the old sense of paying someone back.
Can 报 alone mean newspaper?
Yes, in set phrases like 看报 (kàn bào, to read the paper) and in newspaper names such as 人民日报 (Rénmín Rìbào). In everyday speech people more often say 报纸 (bàozhǐ).