泼 meaning and stroke order
To splash; to spill; rough and coarse
How to write 泼, 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 泼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to splash
- to spill
- rough and coarse
- brutish
How 泼 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To send forth 发 water 氵.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 泼
泼 combines water 氵 with 发 (fā, to send out). Picture yourself sending water out of a bucket with one big throw, and you have 泼 (pō), to splash.
泼 (pō) describes throwing or splashing liquid all at once, not a gentle pour. It also appears in fixed words like 活泼 (huópō, lively) and the figurative 泼冷水 (pō lěngshuǐ). Example: 别给他泼冷水。(Bié gěi tā pō lěngshuǐ.) Don't dampen his enthusiasm.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 泼 (pō) with 拨 (bō, to dial or stir), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of water 氵. Also, in 活泼 the second syllable is often read lightly as huópo, but it is still the character 泼, not 波 (bō, wave).
Common words with 泼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
泼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 泼
How many strokes are in 泼?
泼 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 泼 mean?
泼 (pō) means to splash; to spill; rough and coarse. A common word with it is 活泼 (huópō), meaning "lively; vivacious".
How do you pronounce 泼?
泼 is pronounced pō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 泼?
The radical of 泼 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 泼 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 泼?
The traditional form of 泼 is 潑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 泼 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 泼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 泼 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 泼 and 倒?
倒 (dào) is the general word for pouring, like pouring tea into a cup. 泼 (pō) means splashing or flinging liquid out forcefully, often over an area or onto someone.
Is 泼妇 an insulting word?
Yes. 泼妇 (pōfù) means a shrew, a woman seen as loud and unreasonable. It is rude and should be used with care, if at all.