How to Write 琶 (pá) — Meaning “Pa (second character of 'pipa').”

Imagine a king (王) who loves music and plays a pipa shaped like a long-necked gourd, which resembles the character 巴. This helps link the top "king" and bottom "ba" to the pipa instrument.

Write the top radical 王 with three horizontal strokes balanced evenly before the vertical stroke. Then write the bottom 巴: start with a horizontal fold, then a vertical line, a short horizontal, and finish with a vertical hook. Keep the bottom part slightly narrower than the top for proper proportion.

琶 is only used in the word 琵琶 (pipa), while 珙 (gǒng) means a type of jade and 珞 (luò) appears in 璎珞 (ornamental necklace). Visually, 琶 has 巴 below, 珙 has 共 (together), and 珞 has 各 (each). They share the 王 radical but differ in the bottom component and meaning.

琶 is almost exclusively used as the second character in 琵琶 (pípá), a traditional Chinese lute. It appears in cultural references like the famous Tang poem "琵琶行" (Song of the Pipa) by Bai Juyi. You will not see 琶 alone outside of this musical context.

Common words containing 琶 include: 琵琶 (pí pá) — Pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute).; 弹琵琶 (dàn pí pá) — To play the pipa; 琵琶行 (pí pá xíng) — Song of the Pipa (a famous Tang Dynasty poem)..