How to Write 伴 (bàn) — Meaning “companion; partner”

Imagine you have a "half" (半) of a pizza, and you need another person (亻) to share it with — that person is your 伴 (companion). Another way: think of a pair of friends as two halves of one whole, so a companion completes your "half."

Write the left radical 亻 first (two strokes: left-falling stroke then vertical stroke). Then write the right part 半: start with the dot on top, then a left-falling stroke, two horizontal strokes, and a vertical stroke at the end. A common mistake is making the right side 半 too narrow or forgetting the dot on top.

伴 means companion and has 半 (half) on the right, while 仔 (zǎi) means child or son and uses 子 (child), and 仕 (shì) means official or serve and uses 士 (scholar). Visually, 仔 and 仕 have different right-side components that change the meaning completely. In usage, 伴 is for people who accompany you, 仔 for young people, and 仕 for government roles.

伴 appears in common words like 伙伴 (partner or buddy), 陪伴 (to accompany someone), and 伴侣 (life partner or spouse). In Chinese culture, 伴侣 often implies a close romantic relationship, while 伙伴 can be used for coworkers or travel companions. It is a practical character for describing people you work or spend time with.

Common words containing 伴 include: 伙伴 (huǒ bàn) — Partner; companion.; 陪伴 (péi bàn) — to accompany or keep company; 伴侣 (bàn lǚ) — partner; companion.