How to Write 冰 (bīng) — Meaning “Ice”

Imagine two tiny ice crystals (the radical 冫) sitting on top of a pool of water (水). When it gets very cold, the water freezes into ice. This visual helps you remember both parts of the character.

Write the radical 冫 first with two dots from top left to bottom right, then the water part 水 starting with a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the two dots too big or too far apart; keep them small and close together above the water.

冰 has the water component 水 inside, clearly meaning ice. 冯 has a horse component 马 and is a surname, while 冱 has 互 meaning mutual and refers to extreme cold or frozen solid. Visually, 冰 looks like water with ice dots above it, unlike the other two.

冰 is very common in daily words like 冰箱 (refrigerator) and 冰水 (ice water). In Chinese culture, ice symbolizes purity and coldness, and it appears in foods like 冰棍 (popsicle) and the famous 冰糖葫芦 (candied hawthorn).

Common words containing 冰 include: 冰水 (bīng shuǐ) — Ice water; 冰箱 (bīng xiāng) — Refrigerator; fridge; 冰块 (bīng kuài) — Ice cube.