薄

báo
HSK 5
#1,431 most
frequent character
thin, cold in manner, indifferent
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

薄 joins 艹 plants with 溥 pǔ as the sound part. It first meant a place where plants grow thickly. The 'thin' sense was borrowed only for its sound, then grew to 'weak, frail'. Read bò, 'pepperment' was also a sound loan.

薄 as a component in other characters

sound1 character
礴

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Example Sentences

这本书内容很薄。
zhè běn shū nèiróng hěn báo 。
This book has very thin content.
天气越来越薄，我需要穿多一点衣服。
tiānqì yuèláiyuè báo ， wǒ xūyào chuān duō yīdiǎn yīfú 。
The weather is getting colder, I need to wear more clothes.
他的态度很薄，不太关心别人的感受。
tāde tàidù hěn báo ， bùtài guānxīn biérén de gǎnshòu 。
His attitude is indifferent; he doesn’t care much about others' feelings.

Same Characters, Different Readings

薄Bo2
surname Bo
薄bó
meager, slight, weak, ungenerous or unkind
薄bò
see 薄荷[bo4 he5]

Words with similar meanings

轻qīng
light
通常描述物体的重量轻，也可以用来形容情感或态度的轻松、无负担。
稀薄xībó
thin (in density)
通常用于描述液体或气体的稀薄程度，相比之下更侧重于物质的稀少。

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Public Lists with 薄

Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
Weather & Climate
Describing temperature, precipitation, seasons, forecasts, and related terms.
Common Adjectives
Descriptive words for size, quality, temperature, mood, and more.
Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test