How to Write 坂 (bǎn) — Meaning “Slope / Hillside”

Imagine walking on a slope made of earth (土) and feeling like you are going backwards (反, meaning reverse). The idea of earth that forces you to lean backward helps you recall the character for hillside.

Write the left radical 土 with strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal. Then the right part 反: left-falling (丿), horizontal, horizontal, left-falling (乛) or 反 is: 丿, 一, 一, 乛. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep it balanced and slightly taller than the left.

坂 (bǎn) means slope and has 土 on the left and 反 on the right. 圣 (shèng) means holy, with 又 (again) on top and 土 below. 圤 (pǔ) is a rare character for a tool or a garden, with 口 (mouth) inside 土. The shape and meaning are all different.

坂 is not common in daily Chinese except in place names like 大阪 (Dàbǎn, Osaka, Japan) and words like 坂道 (bǎndào, sloping road). Culturally, it appears often in Japanese contexts because Japanese uses 坂 much more frequently for slopes and names.

Common words containing 坂 include: 大阪 (dà bǎn) — Osaka; 山坂 (shān bǎn) — Hillside or slope; 坂道 (bǎn dào) — Sloping road.