How to Write 频 (pín) — Meaning “frequent / frequency”

Imagine taking repeated steps (步) on a page (页) of a book — the more you step on it, the more frequent the action becomes. You can also think of the phrase "step by step on the page" to recall the left-right structure and the meaning of frequency.

Write the left part 步 first with slightly narrower proportions, then add the right part 页. Pay attention to the bottom of 步: it ends with a downward stroke that should not cross into the 页 side. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting that 页 has no final hook on its horizontal stroke.

The left side of 频 is 步 (step), while 颅 has 卢 (a different component related to a house or skull) and 领 has 令 (command or order). Visually, 频 looks like two distinct parts stacked neatly, whereas 颅 has a more compact left side and 领 has a narrower left side with a dot. Their meanings are also different: 频 means frequency, 颅 means skull, and 领 means collar or to lead.

频 is very common in everyday Chinese, especially in words like 视频 (video), 频率 (frequency) and 频繁 (frequently). In technology contexts, 视频 appears everywhere — from video calls to online videos — making this character essential for digital life. It is also used in science and statistics when discussing rates or frequencies.

Common words containing 频 include: 视频 (shì pín) — Video; 频率 (pín lǜ) — frequency; 频繁 (pín fán) — frequent / frequently.