半 Stroke Order — How to Write 半
半 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 十, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
半 Radical and Character Components
半 is an ideographic compound. A cow 牛 splitting 丷 wood in half.
Radical: 十 + 3 more strokes
半 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- bàn
Meanings of 半 in Chinese
1
bàn半
Half; fifty (often referring to age).
他已经半百了，但身体依然很健康。
He is already fifty, but his body is still very healthy.
Indicates something is not complete or is only a part of a whole; half; partial; semi-.
窗帘是半透明的，能让光线透进来
The curtains are semi-transparent, allowing light to come through.
In the middle of a specific time or place, indicating halfway or during an ongoing period.
我半夜起来喝水。
I woke up in the middle of the night to drink water.
Refers to a very small amount; a tiny bit or trace.
他连半点希望都没有了
He doesn't even have a tiny bit of hope left.
Common Words and Phrases with 半
1
fifty, especially referring to age
他已经半百了，但身体依然很硬朗
He is already fifty, but his body is still very robust.
2
a half shift; a shift with only half the usual working hours
今天我只上半班，下午就可以休息了。
Today I only work a half shift, I can rest in the afternoon.
3
incomplete; unfinished
他做事总是半半拉拉的，很少有彻底完成的时候。
He always leaves things halfway done, rarely finishing anything completely.
4
5
half a lifetime; a significant part of one's life
她半辈子都在这个小镇上生活，对这里的一草一木都非常熟悉。
She has lived in this small town for half her life, and is intimately familiar with every aspect of it.
6
Half of a wall or cliff; a portion, often half, of a territory or country.
清晨，山峰的半壁被云雾遮蔽，宛如仙境。
In the early morning, half of the mountain peak was obscured by clouds and mist, resembling a fairyland.
7
half of the country
这家老字号餐厅凭借其独特的秘制配方，在当地餐饮界占据了半壁江山
With its unique secret recipe, this time-honored restaurant has secured a significant portion of the local catering industry.
8
widow
她丈夫不幸离世后，她就成了村里人眼中的半边人，独自承担起生活的重担
After her husband unfortunately passed away, she became what the villagers referred to as a 'banbianren', shouldering the burden of life alone.
9
women, especially emphasizing their significant role or contribution to society, often used in the context of 'women hold up half the sky'
在职场上，女性发挥着不可或缺的作用，真正撑起了半边天
In the workplace, women play an indispensable role, truly holding up half the sky.
10
A tactless, impulsive, rude, or unreasonable person.
他从小就是个半彪子，谁的话也不听，总是惹是生非。
He has been a crude and unreasonable person since childhood, never listening to anyone and always causing trouble.
11
half-wave
半波整流器只利用了交流电的一个半波，因此效率相对较低。
A half-wave rectifier only utilizes one half-wave of the alternating current, thus its efficiency is relatively low.
12
A product made from raw materials that is not yet complete but will be processed further into a finished product; also known as a semi-finished product or semimanufacture.
这家工厂专门生产各种电子设备的半成品，然后供应给下游的组装厂商。
This factory specializes in producing semi-finished products for various electronic devices, which are then supplied to downstream assembly manufacturers.
13
A piece of land almost surrounded by water but connected to the mainland on one side.
那个美丽的半岛拥有清澈的海水和柔软的沙滩。
That beautiful peninsula has clear waters and soft sand.
14
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be significantly altered by factors such as temperature, light, or the addition of impurities, making it fundamental to electronic devices.
半导体材料是现代电子设备的核心组件。
Semiconductor materials are the core components of modern electronic devices.
15
halfway; on the way
我们去公园的半道儿下起了雨，只好折返回家
It started raining halfway to the park, so we had to turn back home.
More words with 半
- yí一bàn半half
- liǎng两bàn半two halves
- duō多bàn半The greater part; most probably.
- gè各bàn半Half each, Fifty-fifty
- guò过bàn半more than half
- xiǎo小bàn半less than half
- yè夜bàn半midnight
- zhé折bàn半Reduce by half.
- cān参bàn半mixed, half and half
- dà大bàn半most, more than half
- duì对bàn半Fifty-fifty, Split in half
- hòu后bàn半second half; latter half
- běi北bàn半qiú球Northern Hemisphere
- dà大bàn半tiān天most of the day, a good part of the day
- guò过bàn半shù数more than half; majority
- hòu后bàn半shēng生the latter half of one's life
- hòu后bàn半yè夜The time from midnight to dawn.
- nán南bàn半qiú球Southern Hemisphere
- shàng上bàn半shēn身the upper part of the body
- xià下bàn半chǎng场the second half of a game or match
Idioms with 半
- bàn半bì壁hé河shān山a significant portion of a territory
- bàn半bì壁shān山hé河a substantial portion of territory
- bàn半bù部lún论yǔ语partial wisdom, profound insight
- bàn半chóu筹mò莫zhǎn展at one's wits' end
- bàn半dǒng懂bù不dǒng懂understand only vaguely
- bàn半gōng工bàn半dú读work and study part-time
- bàn半jié截rù入tǔ土have one foot in the grave
- bàn半jīn斤bā八liǎng两six of one, half a dozen of the other
- bàn半lǎo老xú徐niáng娘alluring middle-aged woman
- bàn半lù路chū出jiā家Change profession later in life
- bàn半lù路xiū修xíng行change profession mid-career
- bàn半miàn面bù不wàng忘remember perfectly after brief encounter
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 半
What does 半 mean in Chinese?
半 (bàn) means “Half” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 半?
半 is pronounced bàn in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 半 have?
半 has 5 strokes.
How do you write 半?
半 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 十. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 半?
The radical of 半 is 十, and 半 is an ideographic compound.
