What does 白 mean in Chinese?

白 (bái) means "white" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 白?

白 is written with 5 strokes, starting from the 白 (white) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 白?

The radical of 白 is 白 (white, Kangxi radical #106). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 的, 百.

How many strokes does 白 have?

The Chinese character 白 has 5 strokes.

What HSK level is 白?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 白 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

白 (bái): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

白

bái

white

HSK 1 character 5 strokes Radical: 白 (white)

Quick Answer

白 (bái) means "white" with 5 strokes, radical 白 (white), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 白 →Animated stroke-order for 白 →

Pronunciation

bái

Meaning

Primary: white

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

The oracle-bone form of 白 is a simple pictograph, but scholars disagree on what it depicted. The most common interpretations are a grain of rice or an acorn kernel showing the pale interior, a thumbnail, or a flame from a lamp. All three readings converge on the idea of something pale or visible, which matches the character's earliest attested meaning.

Form evolution

The oracle-bone graph is a rounded shape with an internal horizontal stroke or dot. Bronze forms regularised it into a pointed top with a horizontal line inside a curved body. Seal script straightened the outline into a more rectangular form, and clerical script squared it off into the four-stroke shape used today in 楷书.

How the meaning evolved

The earliest sense was the colour white or paleness. It extended early to 'bright, clear', then to 'plain, blank', and by classical times to 'in vain, for nothing' (白跑一趟). In modern Mandarin it also means 'spoken or colloquial' as in 白话, and 'to state plainly' as in 表白.

Cultural note

白 is one of the most productive radicals and phonetic components in the language, appearing in 百, 的, 帛, 迫, and 柏. Learners often confuse 白 with 日 because both are small square shapes with an internal stroke, but 白 has an extra downward slash on top.

Mnemonic

The sun with a ray on top — white, pure

Basic info

Pinyin	bái
Meanings	white
Stroke count	5 strokes
Radical	白 (#106: white)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1
Frequency	#481 most common

Example sentences

白色的衣服。
Báisè de yīfu.
White clothes.
From 白 (HSK 5)
你明白我的意思吗？
Nǐ míngbai wǒ de yìsi ma?
Do you understand what I mean?
From 明白 (HSK 3)
他向女孩表白了心意。
Tā xiàng nǚhái biǎobái le xīnyì.
He professed his feelings to the girl.
From 表白 (HSK 7-9)

Words containing 白

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
白	bái	white	HSK 5
明白	míngbai	clear	HSK 3
表白	biǎobái	to explain oneself, to profess	HSK 7-9
苍白	cāngbái	pale, pallid	HSK 7-9
蛋白	dànbái	egg white, protein