How to Write 斑 (bān) — Meaning “Spot; Stripe; Speckle”

Imagine two tigers (文 looks a bit like a tiger's stripes) fighting over a king (王), leaving spots and stripes everywhere. This visual helps you recall the character's shape and its meaning of spots or speckles.

Write the left 文 first (4 strokes), then the middle 王 (4 strokes), and finally the right 文 (4 strokes), keeping each part balanced. Common mistakes include making the middle 王 too tall or the right 文 too wide, so keep all three sections similar in width.

斑 has two 文 parts with a 王 in between, while 斋 has 文 on top and 而 below, and 斌 has 文 on the left with 武 on the right. In usage, 斑 means spots or stripes, 斋 refers to a vegetarian diet or study room, and 斌 describes a refined or cultured person.

斑 is common in words for patterned things, like 斑马 (zebra) and 斑点 (spot or speckle) on animals or objects. It also appears in 雀斑 (freckles) for skin marks, and you may hear it in descriptions of striped or dotted patterns in nature.

Common words containing 斑 include: 斑马 (bān mǎ) — Zebra; 斑点 (bān diǎn) — Spot; Speckle; 雀斑 (què bān) — freckles.