半

bàn
HSK 3
#513 most
frequent character
half, semi-, incomplete
adjective
Measure Word

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

半 combines 八 'to divide' and 斗 'measuring spoon', first meaning a spoon holding half a 斗. From there it grew to 'half'.

半 as a component in other characters

meaning3 characters
判胖衅
sound9 characters
判伴叛胖畔绊拌袢泮

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

我只吃了一半的蛋糕。
wǒzhī chīle yībàn de dàngāo 。
I only ate half of the cake.
这个房子有两层半。
zhègè fángzǐ yǒu liǎng céng bàn 。
This house has two and a half stories.
他走了一半的路程。
tā zǒule yībàn de lùchéng 。
He walked half of the distance.

Words with similar meanings

一半yībàn
one half
This term is a more direct way to describe half, but is less common in everyday use compared to '半'.

Words Starting With 半

半途而废bàn tú ér fèi
to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.