How to Write 报 (bào) — Meaning “to report; newspaper; to repay”

Imagine your hand (扌) holding a newspaper (like a folded sheet) to report the news. The right side 卩 looks like a person kneeling to receive the report, helping you recall both ‘report’ and ‘newspaper’ meanings.

Start with the left hand radical 扌: stroke order is horizontal, vertical hook, then lift. Then write the right part 卩 as a horizontal fold, a vertical stroke, and a final horizontal bottom stroke. A common mistake is writing the right part too wide or mixing up the order of the last two strokes.

报 has the right component 卩 (a seal-like shape), while 扑 has 卜 (a simple divination mark). Visually, 报’s right side has three strokes and a closed top, while 扑’s right side is just a vertical and a dot. Meaning-wise, 报 is about reporting or repaying, whereas 扑 means to pounce or rush at something.

You see 报 in 报纸 (bào zhǐ) for ‘newspaper’ and 报名 (bào míng) for ‘sign up’ or ‘register’. It also appears in 天气预报 (tiān qì yù bào) meaning ‘weather forecast’, a common phrase when checking the daily forecast. Culturally, reading 报纸 is still a daily habit for many Chinese people, especially older generations.

Common words containing 报 include: 报纸 (bào zhǐ) — newspaper; 报名 (bào míng) — to sign up; to register; 天气预报 (tiān qì yù bào) — Weather forecast.