The character 薄 — “thin”: how to write it and what it means

薄
báo

thin

16 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

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

Stroke order: how to write 薄

薄 has 16 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 薄, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 薄 is made of

On top, 艹 “grass”. The opposite of 厚 “thick”. In literary words it's read bó.

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

Words with 薄

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 薄?

薄 has 16 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 薄 mean?

薄 means “thin”. It appears in 薄弱 (“weak”).

How do you pronounce 薄?

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

How many strokes does 薄 have?

16 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 薄 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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