How to Write 舶 (bó) — Meaning “Large ship”

Imagine a huge ship with a bright white sail — 舟 (boat) plus 白 (white) equals a large white ship. This visual of a giant white vessel will help you remember that 舶 means "large ship." Repeat the picture in your mind whenever you see this character.

When writing 舶, first write the radical 舟 with 6 strokes — be careful to keep the vertical stroke slightly curved to the left. Then write 白 with 5 strokes, making sure the top short stroke is centered. A common mistake is making the 舟 too wide or the 白 too narrow; keep them balanced in width.

舶 (bó) means a large ship, while 舡 (gāng) is an uncommon character for a boat, and 舢 (shān) refers to a small sampan. Visually, 舶 has 白 (white) on the right, 舡 has 工 (work), and 舢 has 山 (mountain). Remember: 舶 = big ship (think white sails), 舢 = small boat (like a mountain shape).

舶 appears in formal words like 船舶 (vessels) and 舶来品 (imported goods, historically arriving by ship). It is not common in everyday conversation but is important in maritime and trade contexts. The term 舶来品 carries a cultural note of foreign goods brought by large ships from overseas.

Common words containing 舶 include: 船舶 (chuán bó) — Ships; vessels; 巨舶 (jù bó) — large ocean-going ship; giant vessel; 舶来品 (bó lái pǐn) — Imported goods.