The character 半 — “half”: how to write it and what it means

半
bàn

half

5 strokes · HSK 1 · word page

The Chinese character 半 is read bàn and means “half”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 半

半 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 半, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

Words with 半

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 半?

半 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 半 mean?

半 means “half”. It appears in 一半 (“half”), 半天 (“half a day”), 半夜 (“midnight”).

How do you pronounce 半?

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

How many strokes does 半 have?

5 strokes.

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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 半 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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