How to Write 亳 (bó) — Meaning “Bo (name of an ancient capital or place)”

Imagine a person in the ancient capital of Bo wearing a hat (亠), shouting with a big mouth (口), and then bending over (the bottom hook) to pick something up. This visual helps you recall the character and its pronunciation 'bo' like 'bow'.

Start with the top 亠 (dot then horizontal), then write the 口 in the center, making sure it is not too wide. Next, add a small dot, and finish with a vertical hook that curves to the right — this bottom part is often made too narrow or the dot is forgotten.

亳 has a bottom part with a dot and a curved hook, while 享 ends with the character 子 (child) which has a horizontal stroke and a straight hook. 㐭 is very rare and looks like a square with a cross inside, unlike 亳's mouth and hook. The hook at the bottom of 亳 is its most distinctive feature.

亳 is primarily used in the city name 亳州 (Bozhou) in Anhui province. It also appears in historical terms like 亳社 (ancient altar) and 亳土 (old place name). This character is not common in daily language and is not part of the HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 亳 include: 亳州 (bó zhōu) — Bozhou (a city in Anhui province); 亳社 (bó shè) — Bo altar (historical site); 亳土 (bó tǔ) — Bo soil (historical reference).