How to Write 票 (piào) — Meaning “Ticket; vote”

Imagine you have a ticket (票) that shows (示) you the way to go west (西). Or picture a voting ballot with a sign (示) that points to the west (西)—that visual link helps you recall the character's shape and meaning.

Write the top part 西 first with even horizontal and vertical strokes, then add the bottom 示 directly below, centered. A common mistake is making the top too wide or the bottom too small—keep both parts balanced so the character looks like a neat stack.

票 has 西 (west) on top, while 祘 (rare, suàn) has two 示 (show) stacked, and 祟 (suì, meaning 'evil spirit') has 出 (exit) on top. To remember, think: ticket (票) needs a direction (西), whereas 祟 involves a spooky 'exit' (出) on top.

You see 票 on tickets like 车票 (train/bus ticket), 门票 (entrance ticket), and 机票 (plane ticket). It is also used for voting, as in 投票 (tóu piào, 'to vote')—a cultural note: during elections in China, people cast a 选票 (xuǎn piào, ballot).

Common words containing 票 include: 车票 (chē piào) — ticket (for a bus or train); 门票 (mén piào) — Entrance ticket; 机票 (jī piào) — plane ticket.