How to Write 榜 (bǎng) — Meaning “List / Roll”

Imagine a wooden board (木) with a list of names written on its side (旁). You can think of the sound "bang" like a bang on a wooden board to post announcements or rankings.

Write the left radical 木 first, with a straight vertical stroke and balanced diagonal strokes. Then write the right side 旁: start with the top dot, then the cover 冖, and finally 方 — make sure 方 is not too wide. A common mistake is making the left 木 too narrow or cramping the right part.

榜 uses 木 and 旁, meaning a list on wood, while 棉 (mián) has 木 and 帛 (silk) and refers to cotton plant fibers. 棋 (qí) has 木 and 其, relating to chess pieces often made of wood. So 榜 is about listing, 棉 is cotton, and 棋 is chess.

榜 appears in words like 榜样 (role model, literally a model on a list) and 排行榜 (ranking list). It is commonly used for music charts, sports rankings, or exam result lists. Culturally, ancient imperial exam results were posted on wooden 榜 boards, making it a symbol of achievement.

Common words containing 榜 include: 榜样 (bǎng yàng) — Role model; 榜单 (bǎng dān) — Ranking list; 排行榜 (pái háng bǎng) — leaderboard or ranking list.