How to Write 滨 (bīn) — Meaning “shore; bank; beach”

Imagine a guest (宾) standing by the water (氵) at the seashore. The guest is enjoying the beach, so you can remember that 滨 means 'shore' or 'beach' — water plus a guest.

Write the three dots of 氵 first, then the top part 宀 (roof), next the middle strokes (a vertical line and horizontal lines), and finish with a vertical hook and a final dot. A common mistake is writing the right part as 兵 (soldier) instead of 宾 — note that 宾 ends with a 竖提 (vertical lifting stroke) and a dot, not a 撇 and 捺.

All three have the water radical, but the right side differs: 滨 has 宾 (meaning 'guest'), 涪 has 咅 (pronounced fú, used in the place name Fuling), and 涫 has 官 (meaning 'official' or 'government'). Visually, 涪 is wider on top, 涫 has a roof-like top, and 滨 has a clear 宀 over a 丘-like shape. In usage, only 滨 commonly means 'shore' or appears in words like 海滨.

滨 appears in common words like 海滨 (seaside) and 湖滨 (lakeside), and is part of the famous city name 哈尔滨 (Harbin). Harbin is known for its winter ice festival, so you will see 滨 in travel and geography discussions whenever describing places by water.

Common words containing 滨 include: 海滨 (hǎi bīn) — Seaside / Seashore; 湖滨 (hú bīn) — lakeside; lakefront; 哈尔滨 (hā ěr bīn) — Harbin.