How to Write 婆 (pó) — Meaning “grandmother; mother-in-law; old woman”

Imagine an old woman (女) who is like a wave (波) of kindness, always moving and caring for her family. This visual helps link the woman radical and the wave component. Remember it as 'a woman who makes waves' in a positive sense.

Write the left radical 女 first with a narrow shape, then add the three dots for water (氵) on the right, followed by 皮. A common mistake is to make the 女 too wide or to write the three dots too far apart. Ensure the lower part of 皮 fits neatly under the dots.

The right side of 婆 is 波 (wave), while 姘 has 并 (combine) and 姚 has 兆 (omen). Visually, 婆 has three dots at the top right; 姘 does not. Meaning-wise, 婆 is used for family roles like grandmother or mother-in-law, whereas 姘 relates to improper relationships and 姚 is a surname.

The character 婆 appears in common family terms: 外婆 (maternal grandmother), 老婆 (wife), and 婆婆 (husband's mother). Note that 婆婆 specifically refers to the husband's mother, not the wife's mother. In daily life, 老婆 is an affectionate term for one's wife.

Common words containing 婆 include: 外婆 (wài pó) — maternal grandmother; 老婆 (lǎo pó) — Wife.; 婆婆 (pó po) — mother-in-law (husband's mother); grandmother.