How to Write 砲 (pào) — Meaning “cannon / artillery”

Picture a big stone (石) being wrapped (包) around a cannonball inside a cannon. The stone radical reminds you the weapon is heavy like rock, and the "wrap" part helps you recall the rounded, enclosed shape of an artillery piece.

Start with the left radical 石: write a horizontal stroke, then a downward-left slanted stroke, a short horizontal, and finally a vertical stroke. On the right, write 包: first a downward-left stroke, then a horizontal hook, a vertical hook, and finish with the wrapping stroke. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or forgetting the hook in 包.

砲 (pào) means cannon or artillery and combines a stone radical with 包. 矸 (gān) means waste rock or ore, as in 矸石 (gān shí, gangue). 矻 (kù) means hard work or diligent effort, like in 矻矻 (kù kù). Unlike 砲, the other two do not relate to weapons and have different right-side components.

砲 is used mainly in military terms such as 砲兵 (artillery soldier) and 砲台 (fort with cannons). It also appears in historical or wartime contexts, like 砲火 (gunfire). In everyday life, you might see it in old war movies or historical texts, but it is not a common character for daily conversation.

Common words containing 砲 include: 砲兵 (pào bīng) — artillery / gunner; 砲台 (pào tái) — fort / gun battery; 砲火 (pào huǒ) — artillery fire.