How to write (bào) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

bào to embrace, to hold in one's arms; to enfold 8 strokes · Radical (hand) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced bào.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
抱 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
left hand
right wrap

Radical

The radical of is — meaning hand. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: .

How the character is built

is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. To wrap 包 in one's arms 扌; 包 also provides the pronunciation.

HSK 4 Words Containing 抱

bào to hug; to hold
妈妈抱着孩子走了。
Māma bào zhe háizi zǒu le.
Mom walked away holding the child.
bàoqiàn sorry; apologetic
非常抱歉,让你久等了。
Fēicháng bàoqiàn, ràng nǐ jiǔ děng le.
Very sorry to have kept you waiting.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 31 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

虽然他很辛苦,但是他从来不怨,因为他热爱自己的工作。
From Mock Exam 07 →
女的为什么表示歉?
From Mock Exam 04 →

Tasks Featuring 抱 / 相关任务

Words containing appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论某个人物
Describe a Person · 抱、抱歉

FAQ

What does 抱 mean in Chinese?

抱 (bào) means to embrace, to hold in one's arms; to enfold. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 抱 have?

抱 is written in 8 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 抱?

The radical of 抱 is 扌 (hand). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 技, 扔, 掉, 拉, 指.

What is the pinyin for 抱?

抱 is pronounced bào.

What HSK 4 words use 抱?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 抱 appears in 2 words, including 抱 (bào), 抱歉 (bàoqiàn). See the full list above.

All Characters huà →