How to Write 板 (bǎn) — Meaning “board; plank; plate; stiff”

Think of a wooden board (木) that is turned the opposite way (反, meaning 'opposite') – like flipping a plank over. The sound bǎn is similar to 'ban', so imagine a board that is banned from being used.

The left radical 木 should be narrow, with a straight vertical stroke. The right part 反 starts with a left-falling stroke, then a vertical, then a horizontal left-falling, and ends with a right-falling stroke that extends out to the right – don't make it too small. Common mistake: writing the left 木 too wide, so the character looks unbalanced.

板 (bǎn) means 'board' and has 木 on the left and 反 on the right. 朱 (zhū) means 'red' and has 木 inside with an extra horizontal stroke – it looks like a tree with a line. 朴 (pǔ) means 'simple' and has 木 on the left with 卜 (bǔ) on the right, which is much fewer strokes than 反.

板 is common in words like 老板 (lǎo bǎn, boss), 黑板 (hēi bǎn, blackboard), and 地板 (dì bǎn, floor). It often refers to a flat, hard surface, and 老板 is a very important cultural term for a business owner or manager in Chinese workplaces.

Common words containing 板 include: 老板 (lǎo bǎn) — Boss; 黑板 (hēi bǎn) — Blackboard; 地板 (dì bǎn) — Floor.