How to Write 舨 (bǎn) — Meaning “sampan / small boat”

Imagine a small sampan boat (舟) that is 'reversing' or going backward (反) because it is too small to turn around easily. The visual of a tiny boat moving in reverse can remind you that 舨 means a small boat or sampan.

When writing 舨, the left radical 舟 should be narrow and tall, with its horizontal strokes slightly slanted. The right part 反 must be wider, and the final stroke (捺) should extend outward to balance the character—common mistakes include making the left side too wide or forgetting the dot on top of 舟.

舡 (gāng) means a boat made of wood or a large vessel, while 舢 (shān) appears in 舢舨 and refers to a specific type of small wooden boat. The key visual difference is 舨 uses 反 on the right, 舡 uses 工, and 舢 uses 山—their meanings are all boat-related but 舨 is the most specific to 'sampan.'

舨 is almost exclusively used in the word 舢舨 (shān bǎn), meaning 'sampan'—a traditional small wooden boat common in parts of China and Southeast Asia. You may also see it in 舨船 or 小舨, but these are less common. The character is not in the HSK vocabulary and appears mostly in historical or regional contexts.

Common words containing 舨 include: 舢舨 (shān bǎn) — sampan; 舨船 (bǎn chuán) — sampan / small boat; 小舨 (xiǎo bǎn) — Small boat.