破 meaning and stroke order
Broken; damaged; worn out
How to write 破, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 破
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- broken
- damaged
- worn out
- lousy
- rotten
- to break, split or cleave
How 破 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Rock.
石 gives the meaning and 皮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 破
破 is a pictophonetic character: 石 (shí, rock) on the left gives the meaning, and 皮 (pí) on the right hints at the sound. Picture a rock smashing through a surface so it breaks.
破 works as a verb meaning to break or break through, as in 打破 (dǎpò) and 突破 (tūpò). It is also a very common colloquial adjective for things that are broken, worn out, or lousy. Example: 我的鞋破了。(Wǒ de xié pò le.) My shoes are worn through.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 支 or 皮 with the wrong strokes, or confuse 破 with 坡 (pō, slope), which shares 皮 but uses 土 (earth) instead of 石. Also note the tone: 破 is fourth tone pò, not pō like 坡.
Common words with 破
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 破坏 | pòhuài | destruction; damage | HSK 3 |
| 打破 | dǎpò | to break; to smash | HSK 3 |
| 破产 | pòchǎn | to go bankrupt; to become impoverished | HSK 4 |
| 突破 | tūpò | to break through; to make a breakthrough | HSK 5 |
| 破解 | pòjiě | to break (a bond, constraint etc); to explain | HSK 7-9 |
| 破碎 | pòsuì | to smash to pieces; to shatter | HSK 7-9 |
| 破裂 | pòliè | to burst; to rupture; (of a relationship etc) to break down | HSK 7-9 |
| 破案 | pò'àn | to solve a criminal case | HSK 7-9 |
| 破灭 | pòmiè | to be shattered; to be annihilated (of hope, illusions etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 破旧 | pòjiù | shabby | HSK 7-9 |
| 突破口 | tūpòkǒu | breach; gap | HSK 7-9 |
| 破除 | pòchú | to eliminate; to do away with | HSK 7-9 |
| 破烂 | pòlàn | worn-out; dilapidated; tattered; ragged; (coll.) rubbish; junk | |
| 爆破 | bàopò | to blow up; to demolish (using explosives) |
破 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 破
How many strokes are in 破?
破 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 破 mean?
破 (pò) means broken; damaged; worn out. A common word with it is 破坏 (pòhuài), meaning "destruction; damage".
How do you pronounce 破?
破 is pronounced pò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 破?
The radical of 破 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 破 under this radical.
Is 破 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 破 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 破 and 坏 (huài)?
破 usually means physically broken open, torn, or cracked, like 衣服破了 (the clothes are torn). 坏 means broken in the sense of not working or gone bad, like 电脑坏了 (the computer is broken). They combine in 破坏 (pòhuài), to damage or destroy.
Why does 破 sound insulting when placed before a noun?
In casual speech, 破 before a noun expresses contempt, roughly like lousy or crappy, as in 这破手机 (zhè pò shǒujī, this stupid phone). It shows the speaker's annoyance, so use it carefully.