宾 (bīn) is a Chinese character meaning “guest”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 兵 (soldier; weapon), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “guest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 兵
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 宀 / 3-9 兵）
Memory aid
A soldier (兵) arrives under your roof (宀) — not to fight, but as an invited guest.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 宾馆bīn guǎnhotel; guesthouse宾 = bīn
- 嘉宾jiā bīnhonored guest; guest (on a show)宾 = bīn
- 来宾lái bīnguest; visitor宾 = bīn
- 菲律宾Fēi lǜ bīnthe Philippines宾 = bīn
Go deeper
All readings
guest
guest; visitor
客人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宾馆bīn guǎnhotel; guesthouse宾 = bīn
- 嘉宾jiā bīnhonored guest; guest (on a show)宾 = bīn
- 来宾lái bīnguest; visitor宾 = bīn
- 菲律宾Fēi lǜ bīnthe Philippines宾 = bīn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宾 mean?
宾 (bīn) means guest; visitor.
How do you pronounce 宾?
It is pronounced bīn.
What parts is 宾 made of?
宀 (roof) and 兵 (soldier; weapon), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 宀 / 3-9 兵）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宾 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宾?
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 宾?
Common ones are 宾馆, 嘉宾, 来宾. The reading of 宾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.