The character 番 — “time”: how to write it and what it means

番
fān

time, turn; foreign

12 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

The Chinese character 番 is read fān and means “time, turn; foreign”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 番

番 has 12 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 番, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 番 is made of

番茄 — “foreign eggplant”, a tomato. It hints at the sound of 翻 fān.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 番

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 番?

番 has 12 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 番 mean?

番 means “time, turn; foreign”. It appears in 番茄 (“tomato”).

How do you pronounce 番?

番 is read fān. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 番 have?

12 strokes.

← 豆 beans茄 eggplant →

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 番 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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