菩 meaning and stroke order
Herb, aromatic plant
How to write 菩, stroke by stroke
11 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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- 11
Meaning of 菩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 菩薩|菩萨[pu2 sa4]
- used in 菩提[pu2 ti2]
How 菩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Herb.
艹 gives the meaning and 咅 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 菩
菩 is a plant word: the grass radical 艹 on top marks the meaning herb, and 咅 below gives the sound. Picture a sacred herb growing above a small mouth 口 that chants the name pú.
Today 菩 almost never appears alone. It lives inside Buddhist loanwords like 菩萨 (púsà, bodhisattva) and 菩提 (pútí, bodhi, enlightenment). Example: 庙里有一尊菩萨。(Miào lǐ yǒu yì zūn púsà.) There is a bodhisattva statue in the temple.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 菩 with 部 (bù), which shares the 咅 part, or with 培 (péi). Remember that 菩 has the grass radical on top, and its tone is the rising second tone pú, not pù.
Common words with 菩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 菩萨 | púsà | (Buddhism) bodhisattva | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 菩
How many strokes are in 菩?
菩 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 菩 mean?
菩 (pú) means herb, aromatic plant. A common word with it is 菩萨 (púsà), meaning "(Buddhism) bodhisattva".
How do you pronounce 菩?
菩 is pronounced pú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 菩?
The radical of 菩 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 菩 under this radical.
Is 菩 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 菩 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 菩提 mean?
菩提 (pútí) is the Chinese sound transcription of the Sanskrit word bodhi, meaning awakening or enlightenment. It also appears in 菩提树 (pútíshù), the bodhi tree under which the Buddha is said to have reached enlightenment.
Is 菩萨 used outside religious contexts?
Yes. People sometimes call a very kind, generous person a 活菩萨 (huó púsà), a living bodhisattva. The phrase 菩萨保佑 (púsà bǎoyòu), may the bodhisattva protect you, is also said casually to wish for good luck.