布 (bù) is a Chinese character meaning “cloth”. It is written from 一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 巾 (cloth), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “cloth”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 丿 + 巾
Enclosing structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes
Memory aid
A long line (一) with a stroke sweeping down to the left (丿), and a piece of cloth (巾) hanging under the corner — cloth pulled off the roll and hung up to be cut.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 布料bù liàofabric; cloth material布 = bù
- 分布fēn bùto be distributed; to be spread over an area布 = bù
- 卢布lú bùruble (currency of Russia)布 = bù
- 吕布Lǚ BùLü Bu (famous general of the late Han dynasty)布 = bù
- 尿布niào bùdiaper; nappy布 = bù
- 纱布shā bùgauze; medical gauze布 = bù
- 宣布xuān bùto announce; to declare布 = bù
- 颁布bān bùto promulgate; to issue officially (laws, regulations)布 = bù
Go deeper
All readings
cloth
cloth; fabric; to spread out; to announce
用棉、麻等织成的材料；也指散开、宣告。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 布料bù liàofabric; cloth material布 = bù
- 分布fēn bùto be distributed; to be spread over an area布 = bù
- 卢布lú bùruble (currency of Russia)布 = bù
- 吕布Lǚ BùLü Bu (famous general of the late Han dynasty)布 = bù
- 尿布niào bùdiaper; nappy布 = bù
- 纱布shā bùgauze; medical gauze布 = bù
- 宣布xuān bùto announce; to declare布 = bù
- 颁布bān bùto promulgate; to issue officially (laws, regulations)布 = bù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 布 mean?
布 (bù) means cloth; fabric; to spread out; to announce.
How do you pronounce 布?
It is pronounced bù.
What parts is 布 made of?
一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 巾 (cloth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 布 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 布?
巾. 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 布?
Common ones are 布料 and 分布. The reading of 布 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.