炮 meaning and stroke order
Cannon; firecracker
How to write 炮, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 炮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- cannon
- firecracker
- variant of 炮[pao4]
- to sauté
- to fry
- to dry by heating
- to prepare herbal medicine by roasting or parching (in a pan)
How 炮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 包 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 炮
Fire 火 on the left plus 包 (bāo) on the right: picture a package 包 stuffed with powder, and when fire touches it, it blasts like a cannon. 包 also gives the sound, so 炮 (pào) rhymes with 包 (bāo).
In modern Chinese 炮 (pào) most often means cannon or artillery, and it also appears in 鞭炮 (biānpào), firecrackers set off at Spring Festival and weddings. It is also the cannon piece in Chinese chess. Example: 过年的时候大家放鞭炮。(Guònián de shíhou dàjiā fàng biānpào.) People set off firecrackers at New Year.
Common mistake: Learners confuse 炮 with 跑 (pǎo, to run) and 抱 (bào, to hug), which share the 包 part. Check the left side: fire 火 for cannon, foot 足 for running, hand 扌 for hugging. Also keep the fourth tone pào, not pǎo.
Common words with 炮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鞭炮 | biānpào | firecrackers; string of small firecrackers | HSK 7-9 |
| 马后炮 | mǎhòupào | (Chinese chess) moving the cannon after moving the horse away; (fig.) a useless action or | HSK 7-9 |
| 大炮 | dàpào | big gun; cannon | |
| 炮弹 | pàodàn | artillery shell | |
| 炮火 | pàohuǒ | artillery barrage; gunfire | |
| 火炮 | huǒpào | cannon; gun | |
| 开炮 | kāipào | to open fire | |
| 打炮 | dǎpào | to open fire with artillery; to set off firecrackers | |
| 炮兵 | pàobīng | artillery soldier; gunner | |
| 炮击 | pàojī | to shell; to bombard | |
| 娘炮 | niángpào | (slang) effeminate man; sissy | |
| 枪炮 | qiāngpào | firearm | |
| 迫击炮 | pǎijīpào | mortar (weapon); Taiwan pr. [po4 ji2 pao4] | |
| 炮手 | pàoshǒu | gunner; artillery crew |
炮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 炮
How many strokes are in 炮?
炮 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 炮 mean?
炮 (pào) means cannon; firecracker. A common word with it is 鞭炮 (biānpào), meaning "firecrackers; string of small firecrackers".
How do you pronounce 炮?
炮 is pronounced pào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 炮?
The radical of 炮 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 炮 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 炮?
The traditional form of 炮 is 砲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 炮 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 炮 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 炮 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 马后炮 (mǎhòupào) mean?
It comes from Chinese chess and describes advice or action that comes too late to help. You might say it about someone who explains what you should have done after the problem is over.
When is 炮 read bāo or páo?
Bāo is a cooking word meaning to quickly sauté or stir fry at high heat, as in 炮羊肉 (bāo yángròu). Páo is used in traditional Chinese medicine for roasting or parching herbs in a pan. In everyday speech you will mostly hear pào.