How to Write 帕 (pà) — Meaning “Handkerchief or scarf.”

Imagine a white (白) cloth (巾) folded neatly in your pocket — that's a handkerchief. The visual of a clean white square of fabric can help you recall both the components and the meaning of 帕.

Pay attention to the stroke order: write the left 巾 first (3 strokes), then the right 白 (5 strokes). The left side should be narrow, while the right side is wider; a common mistake is making both parts the same width, which looks unbalanced.

帕 (pà) uses 白 (white) and means handkerchief or scarf, while 帆 (fān) uses 凡 (ordinary) and means sail for boats. 师 (shī) has a different right component (帀) and means teacher — its radical is also 巾, but the meaning is completely unrelated to cloth items.

帕 appears in words like 手帕 (handkerchief) and 头帕 (headscarf). While handkerchiefs are less common today, the character is still used in formal, traditional, or regional contexts, such as describing a headscarf worn by some ethnic groups in China.

Common words containing 帕 include: 手帕 (shǒu pà) — handkerchief; 头帕 (tóu pà) — headscarf / kerchief; 帕子 (pà zi) — Handkerchief..