砲 meaning and stroke order
Gun, cannon
How to write 砲, stroke by stroke
10 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 砲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 炮[pao4]
How 砲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Stone.
石 gives the meaning and 包 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 砲
砲 combines 石 (shí, stone) with 包 (bāo), which gives the sound. Picture a weapon that hurls stones, and the 包 part reminds you it is read pào.
砲 is a variant of 炮 (pào). In mainland simplified Chinese you will almost always see 炮, while 砲 still appears in some Taiwanese, Japanese, and older texts. Example: 军舰向敌人开砲。(Jūnjiàn xiàng dírén kāipào.) The warship opened fire on the enemy.
Common mistake: Learners often write 砲 in mainland contexts where 炮 with the fire radical 火 is the standard form, so words like 大炮 and 开炮 should use 炮. Also do not confuse it with 抱 (bào, to hug) or 跑 (pǎo, to run), which share 包 but have different radicals and tones.
Common words with 砲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大砲 | dàpào | big gun; cannon | |
| 開砲 | kāipào | to open fire | |
| 槍砲 | qiāngpào | firearm | |
| 砲手 | pàoshǒu | gunner; artillery crew | |
| 砲臺 | pàotái | fort; battery |
Questions about 砲
How many strokes are in 砲?
砲 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 砲 mean?
砲 (pào) means gun, cannon. A common word with it is 大炮 (dàpào), meaning "big gun; cannon".
How do you pronounce 砲?
砲 is pronounced pào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 砲?
The radical of 砲 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 砲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 砲?
砲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 炮, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why are there two characters, 砲 and 炮, for cannon?
The stone radical 石 fits early catapults that threw rocks. The fire radical 火 fits later gunpowder weapons. Both forms survived, and mainland China standardized on 炮.
Does 砲 have the other readings that 炮 has, like páo or bāo?
The data here only gives pào for 砲, meaning gun or cannon. The cooking senses read páo and bāo belong to 炮, so use 炮 for those words.