膊 meaning and stroke order
Shoulder, upper arm
How to write 膊, stroke by stroke
14 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 膊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shoulder
- upper arm
How 膊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 尃 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 膊
The left side ⺼ means flesh, so 膊 (bó) is a body part. The right side 尃 gives the sound, and it also appears in 博 (bó) and 搏 (bó), which share the same pronunciation.
膊 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will meet it mainly in 胳膊 (gēbo, arm), where it is read in the neutral tone, and in 赤膊 (chìbó, bare to the waist). Example: 我的胳膊很疼。(Wǒ de gēbo hěn téng.) My arm hurts.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 膊 with 博 (bó, broad) and 搏 (bó, to fight), because all three share 尃 and the same sound. Check the left side: ⺼ for the body, 十 for broad, 扌 for hand actions. Also remember that in 胳膊 it is said gēbo, with a light neutral second syllable, not gēbó.
Common words with 膊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 胳膊 | gēbo | arm | HSK 7-9 |
膊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 膊
How many strokes are in 膊?
膊 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 膊 mean?
膊 (bó) means shoulder, upper arm. A common word with it is 胳膊 (gēbo), meaning "arm".
How do you pronounce 膊?
膊 is pronounced bó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 膊?
The radical of 膊 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 膊 under this radical.
Is 膊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 膊 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 胳膊 and 手臂?
Both mean arm. 胳膊 (gēbo) is more casual and common in everyday speech, especially in the north. 手臂 (shǒubì) sounds a bit more formal or written.
Does 膊 mean shoulder or arm in modern Chinese?
In modern usage it mostly points to the arm through the word 胳膊. The meaning of shoulder survives in older or set expressions. For shoulder today, people normally say 肩膀 (jiānbǎng).