Meaning of 爸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- father
- dad
- pa
- papa
How to use 爸
On its own 爸 is rare in speech. People usually say 爸爸 (bàba) or the casual 老爸 (lǎobà), and 爸妈 (bàmā) means "mom and dad" together. Example: 我爸爸是老师。(Wǒ bàba shì lǎoshī.) My dad is a teacher.
爸 (bà) puts 父 (fù, father) on top of 巴 (bā), which gives the sound. Picture father 父 sitting on top, with 巴 telling you to say "ba".
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 八 or forget the crossing strokes of 父. The top must be 父 with its X shape. In 爸爸 the second syllable is neutral tone, so say bàba, not bàbà.
爸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
爸 bà · father · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 爸.
Questions about 爸
What does 爸 mean?
爸 (bà) means "father; dad" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 爸?
爸 is made of 1 character: 爸 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 爸 an HSK word?
Yes. 爸 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 爸爸 and 父亲?
爸爸 (bàba) is the everyday word you use to talk to or about your dad. 父亲 (fùqīn) is formal and written, used in documents, speeches, or polite descriptions.
Can I call my father just 爸?
Yes. Many adults simply call out 爸 (bà) when addressing their father, and 我爸 (wǒ bà, my dad) is very common in casual speech.