How to say “back” in Chinese
back; learn by heart
“Back” in Chinese is 背, bèi: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
背 is read bèi. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
At the bottom, 月 “flesh, body”; on top, 北 běi hints at the sound. Second reading: bèi, “back”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “背”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 背. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他背着一个大背包tābēizheyígedàbēibāoHe's carrying a big backpack.
- 原来钥匙在门背后yuánláiyàoshizàiménbèihòuSo the keys were behind the door!
- 背包太沉了我背不动bēibāotàichénle,wǒbēibudòngThe backpack is too heavy, I can't carry it.
- 你的背包沉不沉？nǐdebēibāochénbuchénIs your backpack heavy?
- 我每天早上都背2课文wǒměitiānzǎoshangdōubèikèwénEvery morning I learn texts by heart.
- 我先介绍一下这个项目的背景。wǒxiānjièshàoyíxiàzhègexiàngmùdebèijǐngFirst, let me give you some background on the project.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Repeating and memorizing”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “back” in Chinese?
“Back” in Chinese is 背, pinyin bèi.
What does 背 mean?
背 (bèi) means “back; learn by heart”.
How do you write 背?
背 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 背?
背 is read bèi. Tones: bèi — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“back” in the lesson “Repeating and memorizing”
This word is from the topic “Studying and student life” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free