The character 宝 — “treasure”: how to write it and what it means
treasure, jewel
The Chinese character 宝 is read bǎo and means “treasure, jewel”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 宝
宝 has 8 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 宝, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 宝 is made of
On top, 宀 “roof”; under it, 玉 “jade”: a treasure in the house.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 宝
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 宝?
宝 has 8 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 宝 mean?
宝 means “treasure, jewel”. It appears in 宝贝 (“treasure”), 宝贵 (“valuable”), 珠宝 (“jewelry”), 国宝 (“national treasure”).
How do you pronounce 宝?
宝 is read bǎo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 宝 have?
8 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 宝 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.
Start for free