吧 (ba) is a Chinese character meaning “sentence-final particle: softens a sentence into a”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 巴 (to cling to; (transliteration syllable ba)), side by side, and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, bā, which turns up in 酒吧 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “sentence-final particle: "…, okay?" / "let's …"”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
口 + 巴
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口巴；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「口」（3 笔），笔画 3–6 为「巴」（4 笔），合计 7 笔
Memory aid
A mouth (口) with 巴 (bā) clinging to its side: 巴 lends the sound, 口 says it is something you do with your voice — a soft little tag hung on the end of a sentence.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 好吧hǎo baokay; alright; fine then吧 = baHSK 1
- 走吧zǒu balet's go吧 = baHSK 1
Go deeper
All readings
sentence-final particle (suggestion / agreement)
sentence-final particle: softens a sentence into a suggestion ("let's…"), a request, or a reluctant agreement ("fine, okay")
语气词，用在句末，表示商量、建议、请求或勉强同意。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 好吧hǎo baokay; alright; fine then吧 = baHSK 1
- 走吧zǒu balet's go吧 = baHSK 1
bar (drinking or internet venue)
bar; a small venue transliterated from English "bar", as in 酒吧 (bar) and 网吧 (internet cafe)
音译自英语 bar，指小型营业场所，如「酒吧」「网吧」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 酒吧jiǔ bābar; pub吧 = bā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 吧 mean?
吧 (ba) means sentence-final particle: softens a sentence into a suggestion ("let's…"), a request, or a reluctant agreement ("fine, okay").
How do you pronounce 吧?
Its main reading is ba. It also has a second reading, bā, which only shows up in certain words such as 酒吧 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 吧 sometimes pronounced bā?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 酒吧 it is read bā.
What parts is 吧 made of?
口 (mouth) and 巴 (to cling to; (transliteration syllable ba)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口巴；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「口」（3 笔），笔画 3–6 为「巴」（4 笔），合计 7 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 吧 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 吧?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 吧?
Common ones are 好吧 and 走吧. The reading of 吧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.