The character 布 — “cloth”: how to write it and what it means
cloth; announce
The Chinese character 布 is read bù and means “cloth; announce”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 布
布 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 布, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 布 is made of
At the bottom, 巾 “cloth”: the first meaning is canvas. From that, “spread out, make known”: 宣布, 公布 — announce, make public.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 布
- 宣布announceHSK 5
- 发布release, officially announceHSK 5
- 公布make publicHSK 5
- 分布be distributedHSK 5
- 布置furnish, decorate; assign (a task)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 布?
布 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 布 mean?
布 means “cloth; announce”. It appears in 宣布 (“announce”), 发布 (“release”), 公布 (“make public”), 分布 (“be distributed”).
How do you pronounce 布?
布 is read bù. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 布 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 布 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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