補
Character learning workspace

bǔ · to fix, to mend, to patch, to restore

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 補

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 補 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

12Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

衤Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 補 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 補

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

No common curriculum words are indexed for this character yet.

Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 補 sits in each complete thought.

Tā bǎ qiáng bì de dòng bǔ hǎo le.他把牆壁的洞補好了。

He has patched up the hole in the wall.

Source: Tatoeba #1020693 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ zài bǔ xí bān gōng zuò.我在補習班工作。

I work at a cram school.

Source: Tatoeba #1225699 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Xiǎo dòng jí shí bǔ, miǎn zāo dà dòng kǔ.小洞及時補,免遭大洞苦。

A stitch in time saves nine.

Source: Tatoeba #806571 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Mí bǔ yǒng yuǎn bú huì tài wǎn.彌補永遠不會太晚。

It's never too late to make amends.

Source: Tatoeba #806741 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Shì shàng méi yǒu rèn hé de chéng gōng, néng gòu mí bǔ jiā tíng de shī bài.世上沒有任何的成功,能夠彌補家庭的失敗。

There is no success in the world that makes up for the failure of the family.

Source: Tatoeba #839111 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Shì fǔ yīng bǔ tiē jīng cháng xìng kāi zhī páng dà de chǎn yè zhōng de xiǎo xíng qǐ yè.市府應補貼經常性開支龐大的產業中的小型企業。

The city should subsidize small businesses in industries with large overhead costs.

Source: Tatoeba #13849247 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 補 in context

  1. Say bǔ, then recall the core meaning: to fix, to mend, to patch, to restore.
  2. Write all 12 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 補 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.