波 meaning and stroke order
Waves, ripples, breakers; undulations
How to write 波, stroke by stroke
8 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
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- 8
Meaning of 波
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wave
- ripple
- storm
- surge
How 波 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 皮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 波
The water radical 氵 sits beside 皮 (pí, skin). Picture the skin of the water wrinkling into ripples, and the sound of 皮 hints at the reading bō.
波 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 波浪 (bōlàng, wave), 波动 (bōdòng, to fluctuate) and 微波炉 (wēibōlú, microwave oven), and it can describe literal waves or figurative ups and downs. Example: 最近股价波动很大。(Zuìjìn gǔjià bōdòng hěn dà.) Stock prices have fluctuated a lot recently.
Common mistake: Learners often read 波 as pí because of its phonetic part 皮, or mix it up with 坡 (pō, slope) and 破 (pò, broken), which share the same right side. Check the left part: water 氵 gives 波, earth 土 gives 坡, stone 石 gives 破.
Common words with 波
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 波动 | bōdòng | to undulate; to fluctuate | HSK 6 |
| 波浪 | bōlàng | wave | HSK 6 |
| 微波炉 | wēibōlú | microwave oven | HSK 6 |
| 奔波 | bēnbō | to rush about; to be constantly on the move | HSK 7-9 |
| 波及 | bōjí | to spread to; to involve | HSK 7-9 |
| 风波 | fēngbō | disturbance; crisis | HSK 7-9 |
| 波涛 | bōtāo | billows; great waves; surging waves | HSK 7-9 |
| 波澜 | bōlán | billows; great waves (fig. of a story with great momentum) | HSK 7-9 |
| 波折 | bōzhé | twists and turns | HSK 7-9 |
| 波特 | Bōtè | (loanword) baud (computing); porter (beer) | |
| 波比 | bōbǐ | burpee (loanword) | |
| 电波 | diànbō | electric wave; alternating current | |
| 微波 | wēibō | ripple; microwave | |
| 声波 | shēngbō | sound wave |
波 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 波
Learning 波 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 波
How many strokes are in 波?
波 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 波 mean?
波 (bō) means waves, ripples, breakers; undulations. A common word with it is 波动 (bōdòng), meaning "to undulate; to fluctuate".
How do you pronounce 波?
波 is pronounced bō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 波?
The radical of 波 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 波 under this radical.
Is 波 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 波 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 波 and 浪?
Both mean wave, but 浪 (làng) usually suggests bigger, crashing waves, while 波 can mean small ripples or waves in a scientific sense, like sound waves 声波 (shēngbō). Together they form 波浪 (bōlàng), the everyday word for waves.
How is 波 used figuratively?
It often describes trouble or effort that spreads or keeps moving. 风波 (fēngbō) means a disturbance or crisis, 波及 (bōjí) means to spread to or affect, and 奔波 (bēnbō) means to rush around busily.