補 meaning and stroke order
To fix, to mend, to patch, to restore
How to write 補, 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 補
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to repair
- to patch
- to mend
- to make up for
- to fill (a vacancy)
- to supplement
How 補 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Cloth.
衤 gives the meaning and 甫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 衤 (cloth), shared by 72 characters on this site.
How to remember 補
補 combines 衤 (clothing) on the left with 甫 (fǔ) on the right, which hints at the sound bǔ. Picture patching a hole in your clothes: that is the original idea of mending, and it grew into making up for anything missing.
補 is used for repairing things and also for filling gaps, like missed classes, exams, or nutrition. It appears in many common words such as 补充 (bǔchōng), 补课 (bǔkè) and 弥补 (míbǔ). Example: 我明天要补课。(Wǒ míngtiān yào bǔkè.) I have a makeup class tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 礻 (the spirit radical) instead of 衤 (clothing), which has an extra short stroke. Since 補 is about cloth and patching, it needs 衤. Also note that 补 is the simplified form used in mainland China, so the words you see there will use 补.
Common words with 補
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 補充 | bǔchōng | to replenish; to supplement | HSK 3 |
| 補償 | bǔcháng | to compensate; to make up | HSK 5 |
| 補貼 | bǔtiē | to subsidize; subsidy | HSK 5 |
| 補習 | bǔxí | to take extra lessons in a cram school or with a private tutor | HSK 6 |
| 補助 | bǔzhù | to subsidize; subsidy | HSK 6 |
| 補課 | bǔkè | to make up missed lesson; to reschedule a class | HSK 6 |
| 補考 | bǔkǎo | to sit for a makeup exam; to resit an exam | HSK 6 |
| 彌補 | míbǔ | to complement; to make up for a deficiency | HSK 7-9 |
| 補給 | bǔjǐ | supply; replenishment | HSK 7-9 |
| 填補 | tiánbǔ | to fill a gap; to fill in a blank (on a form) | HSK 7-9 |
| 修補 | xiūbǔ | to mend | HSK 7-9 |
| 補救 | bǔjiù | to remedy | HSK 7-9 |
| 互補 | hùbǔ | complementary; to complement each other | HSK 7-9 |
| 亡羊補牢 | wángyáng-bǔláo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 補
How many strokes are in 補?
補 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 補 mean?
補 (bǔ) means to fix, to mend, to patch, to restore. A common word with it is 补充 (bǔchōng), meaning "to replenish; to supplement".
How do you pronounce 補?
補 is pronounced bǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 補?
The radical of 補 is 衤, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 補 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 補?
補 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 补, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 补 (bǔ) and 修 (xiū) for fixing things?
修 means to repair something that is broken, like a car or a phone. 补 means to patch or fill in something missing, like a hole in clothes, a tooth, or a missed lesson.
Why do Chinese people say 补身体 (bǔ shēntǐ)?
补 can mean to nourish or strengthen the body with food or tonics. 补身体 means to build up your health, often by eating nourishing food after illness or hard work.