葩 meaning and stroke order
Petal, corolla; flower
How to write 葩, stroke by stroke
12 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 葩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- corolla of flower
How 葩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 皅 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 葩
The grass radical 艹 on top marks a plant, and 皅 below gives the sound pā. Picture a plant opening its petals with a soft "pa" sound.
葩 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese and mostly lives in the word 奇葩 (qípā). It once meant an exotic flower or a marvel, but today it is very often used jokingly or critically for a weird, outrageous person or thing. 他真是个奇葩。(Tā zhēn shì gè qípā.) He is a real oddball.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 葩 as bā because 巴 (bā) sits inside 皅. The correct reading is first tone pā, as in 啪 (pā).
Common words with 葩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奇葩 | qípā | exotic flower; (fig.) marvel |
Questions about 葩
How many strokes are in 葩?
葩 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 葩 mean?
葩 (pā) means petal, corolla; flower. A common word with it is 奇葩 (qípā), meaning "exotic flower; (fig.) marvel".
How do you pronounce 葩?
葩 is pronounced pā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 葩?
The radical of 葩 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 葩 under this radical.
Is calling someone 奇葩 an insult?
Usually, yes. In everyday speech 奇葩 describes someone whose behavior is bizarre or unreasonable, so it is teasing at best and rude at worst. In older or literary writing it can still be a compliment meaning an outstanding talent or rare beauty.
Can I use 葩 by itself to mean flower?
Not in normal conversation. For flower say 花 (huā), and for petal say 花瓣 (huābàn). 葩 alone feels classical and mostly shows up in poetry or set phrases.