部 meaning and stroke order
Ministry; department; section
How to write 部, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 4
- 5
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- 10
Meaning of 部
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ministry
- department
- section
- part
- division
- troops
How 部 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Place.
阝 gives the meaning and 咅 hints at the sound.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 部
部 is pictophonetic: 阝 on the right means "place" and gives the meaning, while 咅 (pǒu) hints at the sound. Picture a place split into sections, each one a 部 (bù), a part or department.
部 (bù) often means a part of a whole, as in 全部 (quánbù, all), 部分 (bùfen, part) and directions like 西部 (xībù, the western part). It also names organized units such as 部门 (bùmén, department) and government ministries. Example: 我们部门有十个人。(Wǒmen bùmén yǒu shí gè rén.) Our department has ten people.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 部 (bù) with 都 (dōu/dū), since both have 阝 on the right. Check the left side: 部 has 咅 (立 over 口), while 都 has 者. Also, in 部分 the 分 is usually neutral tone in mainland speech (bùfen).
Common words with 部
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 全部 | quánbù | whole; all | HSK 2 |
| 部分 | bùfen | part; portion; piece; Taiwan pr. [bu4fen4] | HSK 2 |
| 一部分 | yī bùfen | portion; part of | HSK 2 |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] | HSK 2 |
| 部门 | bùmén | department; branch | HSK 3 |
| 部长 | bùzhǎng | head of a (government etc) department; section chief | HSK 3 |
| 西部 | xībù | western part | HSK 3 |
| 南部 | nánbù | southern part | HSK 3 |
| 北部 | běibù | northern part | HSK 3 |
| 东部 | dōngbù | the east; eastern part | HSK 3 |
| 中部 | zhōngbù | middle part; central section; central region | HSK 3 |
| 内部 | nèibù | interior; inside (part, section) | HSK 4 |
| 胸部 | xiōngbù | chest; bosom | HSK 4 |
| 俱乐部 | jùlèbù | (loanword) club (the organization or its premises) | HSK 5 |
部 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 部
How many strokes are in 部?
部 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 部 mean?
部 (bù) means ministry; department; section. A common word with it is 全部 (quánbù), meaning "whole; all".
How do you pronounce 部?
部 is pronounced bù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 部?
The radical of 部 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 部 under this radical.
Is 部 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 部 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Can 部 be used as a measure word?
Yes. 部 (bù) is a measure word for films, books, phones and machines, for example 一部电影 (yí bù diànyǐng, a movie) and 一部手机 (yí bù shǒujī, a phone).
What is the difference between 全部 and 大部分?
全部 (quánbù) means all of something, with nothing left out. 大部分 (dàbùfen) means most of it, the greater part but not all.