奔 (bēn) is a Chinese character meaning “to run fast”. It is written from 大 (big) and 卉 (grasses and plants), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to run fast”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 卉
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-glyph-decomposition (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验: 奔 8 画 = 大 3 画 + 卉 5 画)
Memory aid
A person with arms flung wide (大) tearing across the grass (卉) below — that is what running flat out looks like.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 奔驰bēn chíto speed along; to gallop奔 = bēn
- 狂奔kuáng bēnto run wildly; to dash madly奔 = bēn
Go deeper
All readings
to run fast
to run fast; to rush; to speed along; to flee
快速地跑；急走；逃跑。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 奔驰bēn chíto speed along; to gallop奔 = bēn
- 狂奔kuáng bēnto run wildly; to dash madly奔 = bēn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 奔 mean?
奔 (bēn) means to run fast; to rush; to speed along; to flee.
How do you pronounce 奔?
It is pronounced bēn.
What parts is 奔 made of?
大 (big) and 卉 (grasses and plants), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph-decomposition (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验: 奔 8 画 = 大 3 画 + 卉 5 画). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 奔 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 奔?
大. 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 奔?
Common ones are 奔驰 and 狂奔. The reading of 奔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.