炮
Character learning workspace

bāo / páo / pào · cannon, artillery

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

HSK 3.0 · Level 7-9Frequency #5592
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Learn every stroke in 炮

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
Sound changes meaning

Readings & meanings

炮 has 3 dictionary pronunciations. The examples show how each reading behaves in real words.

bāo

to sauté; to fry; to dry by heating

páo

to prepare herbal medicine by roasting or parching (in a pan)

pào

cannon; firecracker

鞭炮biān pào · firecrackers
Step-by-step explorer

See how 炮 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

9Total 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.

火Key radical

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

Print and practise

Download a 炮 writing sheet

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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 炮

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

pàocannon; firecracker
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Example sentences

Notice where 炮 sits in each complete thought.

Wǒ mén yì zhí shì hěn hǎo de pào yǒu.我們一直是很好的炮友。

We've always been very good fuck buddies.

Source: Tatoeba #5957636 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ bú shì xiǎng yào lǎo pó, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo gè pào yǒu ér yǐ.我不是想要老婆,我想找个炮友而已。

It's not a wife that I want, but a sex friend.

Source: Tatoeba #8591281 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zuì hòu wǒ chéng gōng hé nà gè nǚ hái chéng wéi le pào yǒu guān xì.最後我成功和那個女孩成為了炮友關係。

In the end, I did manage to become friends with benefits with that girl.

Source: Tatoeba #5957637 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Ài dí shēng fā míng le diàn dēng pào.愛迪生發明了電燈炮。

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

Source: Tatoeba #402958 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 炮 in context

  1. Say bāo / páo / pào, then recall the core meaning: cannon, artillery.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 鞭炮 (biān pào), meaning “firecrackers”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 炮 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.