How to Write 叵 (pǒ) — Meaning “cannot, impossible”

Think of the shape as a mouth (口) trapped inside a sideways box, meaning it cannot speak or get out. This image of being stuck or blocked helps you recall that 叵 means ‘cannot’ or ‘impossible’.

Write the outer frame first: a horizontal line, then a left vertical stroke, then the bottom horizontal, then the small opening on the right (like a missing right side). Finally add the 口 inside. A common mistake is closing the frame completely—remember there is no right vertical stroke, leaving an opening on the right side.

While 口 (kǒu) is simply ‘mouth’, and 卟 (bǔ) is a rare character used in divination, 叵 (pǒ) is a unique character meaning ‘cannot’ and is always part of compound words. Visually, 叵 has an open frame on the right side, whereas 口 is a complete square and 卟 has a 卜 component inside a square.

叵 is not used alone today; it appears in fixed expressions like 叵测 (pǒ cè, ‘unpredictable’) and 居心叵测 (jū xīn pǒ cè, ‘to harbor malicious intentions’), which imply danger or evil. It also appears in 叵耐 (pǒ nài, ‘unbearable’), a classical term still seen in literary contexts. These words carry a formal or literary tone.

Common words containing 叵 include: 叵测 (pǒ cè) — unpredictable, unfathomable; 居心叵测 (jū xīn pǒ cè) — to harbor malicious intentions; 叵耐 (pǒ nài) — unbearable, annoying.