How to Write 渤 (bó) — Meaning “Bohai (referring to the sea)”

Imagine the right side 孛 looks like a sailboat with a mast (the vertical line) and a sail (the curved top). The water radical 氵 on the left means sea, so you can picture a sailboat on the Bohai Sea. This visual helps link the shape to the meaning.

Write the water radical 氵 first as three dots, then the right part 孛: start with the horizontal line, then vertical, then the dot and hook shape, and finally the 子 part. Keep the left and right sides balanced — the water radical should be narrow and close to the right side. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or misplacing the dot inside 孛.

流 means "to flow" and has the right side 㐬, while 浙 refers to Zhejiang province and has the right side 折. The character 渤 specifically refers to the Bohai Sea and uses the phonetic 孛. Visually, the right parts are completely different, so focus on 孛's unique shape (a combination of 十, 冖, and 子) to tell them apart.

渤 is almost always used in place names, especially 渤海 (Bohai Sea) which is a large inland sea near northeastern China. You also see it in 渤海湾 (Bohai Bay) and 环渤海 (Bohai Rim, referring to the economic region around the sea). It is not used as a standalone word, so you will encounter it mainly in geography or news about that area.

Common words containing 渤 include: 渤海 (bó hǎi) — Bohai Sea; 渤海湾 (bó hǎi wān) — Bohai Bay; 环渤海 (huán bó hǎi) — Bohai Rim; around the Bohai Sea.