Meaning of 钢笔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fountain pen
Measure word: 支
How to use 钢笔
钢笔 refers to a fountain pen, the kind you fill with ink. It often appears with the measure word 支 (zhī). Example: 我用钢笔写信。(Wǒ yòng gāngbǐ xiě xìn.) I write letters with a fountain pen.
钢 (gāng) means steel and 笔 (bǐ) means pen, so a 钢笔 is a "steel pen," named for its metal nib. Picture the bamboo radical ⺮ on top of 笔, since early pens and brushes were made from bamboo.
Common mistake: Learners often use 钢笔 for any pen, but a ballpoint pen is 圆珠笔 (yuánzhūbǐ) and the general word is just 笔 (bǐ). Also do not confuse 钢 (gāng, steel) with 刚 (gāng, just now), which sounds the same.
钢笔 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.
钢 gāng · steel · 9 strokes
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- 9
笔 bǐ · writing brush · 10 strokes
- 1
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Related words
Words that share a character with 钢笔.
| 笔记 | bǐjì | to take down (in writing); notes |
| 笔记本 | bǐjìběn | notebook (stationery) (CL:本[ben3]); (computing) laptop; notebook (abbr. for 筆記本電腦|笔记本电脑[bi |
| 钢琴 | gāngqín | piano |
| 毛笔 | máobǐ | writing brush |
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | (lead) pencil |
| 笔试 | bǐshì | written examination; paper test (for an applicant) |
| 圆珠笔 | yuánzhūbǐ | ballpoint pen |
| 大笔 | dàbǐ | (formal) (honorific) your writing; your handwriting; pen; calligraphy brush |
| 钢铁 | gāngtiě | steel |
| 笔迹 | bǐjì | handwriting |
| 笔录 | bǐlù | to put down in writing; to take down notes |
| 笔直 | bǐzhí | perfectly straight; straight as a ramrod |
Questions about 钢笔
What does 钢笔 mean?
钢笔 (gāngbǐ) means "fountain pen" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 钢笔?
钢笔 is made of 2 characters: 钢 (9 strokes), 笔 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 钢笔 an HSK word?
Yes. 钢笔 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 钢笔 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 钢笔 is written 鋼筆.
How do 钢笔, 铅笔 and 毛笔 differ?
All three end in 笔, meaning a writing tool. 钢笔 is a fountain pen, 铅笔 (qiānbǐ) is a pencil, and 毛笔 (máobǐ) is a calligraphy brush. The first character tells you the material or type.
Why does 钢琴 (gāngqín) also start with 钢?
In 钢琴, 钢 also means steel, referring to the piano's metal strings. So 钢笔 and 钢琴 share the idea of steel, not of writing or music.