How to Write 芭 (bā) — Meaning “Banana plant / Transliteration character”

Imagine the grass radical 艹 as two leaves sticking up from the top of a banana plant. The bottom part 巴 looks like a bunch of bananas hanging down. So you can think: "Grass above, bananas below, that's 芭."

Write the grass radical first with two short horizontal strokes then a longer one, followed by the vertical stroke. For the bottom part 巴, remember the small horizontal stroke inside the box; missing it is a common mistake. Keep the overall shape balanced, with the grass not too wide and the bottom part not too tall.

芭 has grass on top and 巴 below, while 兹 has two 幺 (silk) elements stacked and means 'this' or 'now' in literary Chinese. 艻 has grass on top and 力 (strength) below, but it is a rare character for a type of grass. 芭 is commonly used in loanwords like ballet, so you will see it much more often.

芭 is almost always used as a transliteration character for foreign words, such as 芭蕾 (bā lěi, ballet) and 芭比 (bā bǐ, Barbie). It also appears in the plant name 芭蕉 (bā jiāo, plantain), which is a type of banana grown in southern China. Culturally, 芭蕾 is very well-known as a classical dance form from Western countries.

Common words containing 芭 include: 芭蕾 (bā lěi) — Ballet; 芭蕉 (bā jiāo) — Japanese banana / Plantain; 芭比 (bā bǐ) — Barbie.