芭 meaning and stroke order
A plantain or banana palm
How to write 芭, stroke by stroke
7 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 芭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- an unidentified fragrant plant mentioned in the Songs of Chu 楚辭|楚辞[Chu3 ci2]
- used in 芭蕉[ba1 jiao1]
- used in transliteration
How 芭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 巴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 芭
芭 is a plant word: the grass radical 艹 on top tells you it is a plant, and 巴 (bā) underneath gives the sound. Picture a big leafy plant growing over the sound bā, like the broad leaves of a banana palm.
芭 almost never stands alone. You will meet it in 芭蕉 (bājiāo, plantain or banana plant) and in the loanword 芭蕾 (bālěi, ballet). Example: 她从小学芭蕾舞。(Tā cóngxiǎo xué bālěiwǔ.) She has studied ballet since she was little.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 芭 with 爸 (bà, dad) or 吧 (ba), since all three share 巴. Remember that only 芭 has the grass radical 艹, and it keeps the first tone bā.
Common words with 芭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 芭蕾 | bālěi | ballet (loanword) | HSK 7-9 |
| 芭蕾舞 | bālěiwǔ | ballet (loanword) |
芭 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 芭
How many strokes are in 芭?
芭 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 芭 mean?
芭 (bā) means a plantain or banana palm. A common word with it is 芭蕾 (bālěi), meaning "ballet (loanword)".
How do you pronounce 芭?
芭 is pronounced bā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 芭?
The radical of 芭 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 芭 under this radical.
Is 芭 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 芭 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 芭蕉 the same as 香蕉?
Not quite. 香蕉 (xiāngjiāo) is the everyday word for the banana you eat. 芭蕉 (bājiāo) usually refers to the plantain plant or banana palm, often its large leaves in poetry and gardens.
Why is ballet written 芭蕾?
芭蕾 is a sound loan from the French word ballet. The characters were chosen mainly for their sounds bā and lěi, so their individual meanings do not explain the word.