How to Write 箔 (bó) — Meaning “foil / metal leaf / bamboo screen”

Imagine a bamboo screen (竹) covered with thin, shiny metal foil (箔) like aluminum foil. Visualize the screen sparkling under light, linking the bamboo radical to the idea of a foil-like covering. This connects the bamboo component to the modern meaning of thin metal sheets.

Pay attention to the radical 竹: write the two short strokes for 'bamboo leaves' first, then the vertical stroke, and keep the entire radical narrow. The bottom part 箔 is wide but balanced—note the horizontal stroke of 钅 (metal) is the longest, and the 口 below is centered. A common mistake is making the bamboo radical too big or the bottom part too small.

箔 (bó) means foil or bamboo screen, while 筀 (guì) is an ancient character rarely used, meaning a type of bamboo or a bamboo container. 筅 (xiǎn) refers to a bamboo brush for cleaning. Unlike 箔, which is used in modern words like 'aluminum foil,' 筀 and 筅 are not common in everyday Chinese.

箔 is used in words for thin metal sheets, such as 铝箔 (aluminum foil) for cooking and 金箔 (gold leaf) for decoration. It appears in 锡箔 (tinfoil), though less common now. Culturally, 金箔 is often used in traditional crafts and to decorate statues or foods.

Common words containing 箔 include: 铝箔 (lǚ bó) — Aluminum foil; 金箔 (jīn bó) — Gold leaf; 锡箔 (xī bó) — Tinfoil.