The character 比 — “compare”: how to write it and what it means
compare
The Chinese character 比 is read bǐ and means “compare”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 比
比 has 4 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 比, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 比 is made of
Two people standing side by side are being compared.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 比
- 比较fairly; compareHSK 3
- 比赛competition, matchHSK 3
- 比如for exampleHSK 3
- 相比compared withHSK 4
- 比喻comparison, metaphorHSK 5
- 比例proportion, ratioHSK 5
- 比分score (in a game)HSK 5
- 对比comparison; contrastHSK 5
- 占比share, percentage (in reports)HSK 6
- 比重proportion, share (of the whole)HSK 6
- 比方analogy, example; for exampleHSK 6
- 性价比value for moneyHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 比?
比 has 4 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 比 mean?
比 means “compare”. It appears in 比较 (“fairly”), 比赛 (“competition”), 比如 (“for example”), 相比 (“compared with”).
How do you pronounce 比?
比 is read bǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 比 have?
4 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 比 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