宝 (bǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “treasure”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 玉 (jade), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “treasure”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 玉
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：寶，珍也。从宀从玉从貝，缶聲。简化字「宝」只保留宀与玉两个部件（笔画数据核验：3+5=8）。
Memory aid
Jade (玉) kept under a roof (宀). What you bring indoors and keep safe is your treasure.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 宝贝bǎo bèitreasure; darling宝 = bǎo
- 宝石bǎo shígemstone; precious stone宝 = bǎo
- 宝剑bǎo jiàna fine sword; treasured sword宝 = bǎo
- 宝塔bǎo tǎpagoda宝 = bǎospoken asbáo tǎ
Go deeper
All readings
treasure
treasure; precious thing; precious; valued
珍贵的东西；珍贵的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宝贝bǎo bèitreasure; darling宝 = bǎo
- 宝石bǎo shígemstone; precious stone宝 = bǎo
- 宝剑bǎo jiàna fine sword; treasured sword宝 = bǎo
- 宝塔bǎo tǎpagoda宝 = bǎospoken asbáo tǎ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宝 mean?
宝 (bǎo) means treasure; precious thing; precious; valued.
How do you pronounce 宝?
It is pronounced bǎo.
What parts is 宝 made of?
宀 (roof) and 玉 (jade), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：寶，珍也。从宀从玉从貝，缶聲。简化字「宝」只保留宀与玉两个部件（笔画数据核验：3+5=8）。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宝 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宝?
宀. 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 宝?
Common ones are 宝贝 and 宝石. The reading of 宝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.