播

bō
#1,273 most
frequent character
broadcast, spread, seed, sow
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

播 shows 扌, a hand, as the picture part, and 番 fān supplies the sound, though that link is not clear in modern Mandarin. It first meant sowing seeds. From there it grew to spreading or scattering, and then to broadcasting.

Drawn as: a hand

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Example Sentences

他在电视上播新闻。
tāzài diànshì shàng bō xīnwén 。
He is broadcasting the news on television.
农民播种的时候要注意天气。
nóngmín bōzhǒng de shíhòu yàozhùyì tiānqì 。
Farmers need to pay attention to the weather when sowing seeds.
这个网站每周播一次新节目。
zhègè wǎngzhàn měizhōu bō yīcì xīn jiémù 。
This website broadcasts a new program once a week.

Words with similar meanings

播送bōsòng
to broadcast
More formal term specifically used for broadcasting in media.
撒sā
to scatter
Similar in the context of spreading seeds, but can refer to a broader range of scattering actions.

Homophones

拨bō
to dial
玻bō
glass
剥bō
to peel, to skin, to flay, to shuck
般bō
used in 般若[bo1re3]
波bō
wave, ripple, storm, surge

Words Starting With 播

播放bō fàng
to broadcast; to transmit
播种bō zhòng
to sow seeds; sowing; seed

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