The character 蕉 — “banana”: how to write it and what it means

蕉
jiāo

banana

15 strokes · HSK 3

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

Stroke order: how to write 蕉

蕉 has 15 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 蕉, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 蕉 is made of

On top, 艹 “grass”; below, 焦 jiāo hints at the sound.

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

Words with 蕉

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 蕉?

蕉 has 15 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 蕉 mean?

蕉 means “banana”. It appears in 香蕉 (“banana”).

How do you pronounce 蕉?

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

How many strokes does 蕉 have?

15 strokes.

← 香 fragrant瓜 melon →

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 蕉 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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