How to Write 笸 (pǒ) — Meaning “Flat bamboo basket”

Imagine a bamboo (竹) basket that is so flat it looks like a box (匸) lying on its side. Or think of the sound "pǒ" like "paw" and picture a cat sitting in a shallow bamboo basket.

The top bamboo radical is written first; it has two halves each with 3 strokes (total 6). The bottom 匸 has 3 strokes: horizontal, then a left-down line, then a rightward hook. A common mistake is making the bottom part too tall or too wide—keep it narrow and shallow to match the flat basket shape.

笸 has a bottom part 匸 (a box shape), while 竽 has 于 (a vertical line crossing a horizontal) and 竿 has 干 (a simple cross). The meanings are also different: 笸 is a basket, 竽 is a musical instrument, and 竿 is a bamboo pole. Visually, look for the container shape under the bamboo radical.

笸 rarely appears alone; it is mainly used in the word 笸箩 (pǒ luo) meaning a shallow bamboo basket. These baskets were traditionally used for drying grains, holding vegetables, or storing sewing tools. Today they are less common and carry a nostalgic or rural feel.

Common words containing 笸 include: 笸箩 (pǒ luó) — Shallow bamboo basket; 小笸 (xiǎo pǒ) — Small shallow basket; 针线笸 (zhēn xiàn pǒ) — Sewing basket.