Meaning of 班
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- team; class; grade
- (military) squad
- work shift
- classifier for groups of people and scheduled transport vehicles
- surname Ban
How to use 班
班 (bān) means a class, team, or work shift, and it shows up in very common words like 上班 (shàngbān, to go to work) and 下班 (xiàbān, to get off work). As a classifier it counts groups of people or scheduled transport, such as flights and buses. Example: 我们班有三十个学生。(Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí ge xuésheng.) Our class has thirty students.
Look at 班: a knife-like stroke 刂 sits between two pieces of jade 王. Picture someone cutting a group into sections, like splitting people into classes, teams, or shifts.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 班 (bān) with 斑 (bān, spot or stripe), which has 文 in the middle instead of 刂. Another trap is using 班 for a single lesson. A class period is 课 (kè), while 班 is the group of students.
班 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.
班 bān · team · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 班.
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work; to be on duty |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) |
| 班长 | bānzhǎng | class monitor; squad leader |
| 班级 | bānjí | class (group of students); grade (in school) |
| 航班 | hángbān | (scheduled) flight; (scheduled) sailing |
| 加班 | jiābān | to work overtime |
| 培训班 | péixùnbān | training class |
| 值班 | zhíbān | to work a shift; on duty |
| 西班牙语 | Xībānyáyǔ | Spanish language |
| 上班族 | shàngbānzú | office workers (as social group) |
| 夜班 | yèbān | night shift |
| 接班人 | jiēbānrén | successor |
Questions about 班
What does 班 mean?
班 (bān) means "team; class; grade; (military) squad" and is used as a noun and measure word.
How do you write 班?
班 is made of 1 character: 班 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 班 an HSK word?
Yes. 班 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 班 and 班级?
Both can mean a class of students. 班 is shorter and more common in speech, like 我们班 (wǒmen bān, our class). 班级 (bānjí) sounds more formal and is often used in writing or school documents.
How do I use 班 to talk about flights or buses?
Use 班 as a classifier for scheduled runs, for example 下一班车 (xià yī bān chē, the next bus). For flights, the word 航班 (hángbān) is standard, as in 你的航班几点起飞? (Nǐ de hángbān jǐ diǎn qǐfēi?) What time does your flight take off?