柏 (bǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “cypress”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 白 (white; plain), side by side, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, bó, which turns up in 柏林 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “cypress”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 白
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 柏，鞠也。从木白聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：木 4 画 + 白 5 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
A tree (木) next to white (白): the cypress, whose pale trunk stays standing while everything around it goes bare.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 柏树bǎi shùcypress tree柏 = bǎi
- 松柏sōng bǎipine and cypress; evergreens (a symbol of steadfastness)柏 = bǎi
Go deeper
All readings
cypress
cypress; cedar; an evergreen conifer
常绿乔木，木质坚硬，有香气，四季不凋。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 柏树bǎi shùcypress tree柏 = bǎi
- 松柏sōng bǎipine and cypress; evergreens (a symbol of steadfastness)柏 = bǎi
Bo (in transliterated names)
used only in transliterated proper names, above all 柏林 Berlin
用于音译的专有名词，主要见于「柏林」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 柏林bó línBerlin (capital of Germany)柏 = bó
Sound component
白 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 柏 mean?
柏 (bǎi) means cypress; cedar; an evergreen conifer.
How do you pronounce 柏?
Its main reading is bǎi. It also has a second reading, bó, which only shows up in certain words such as 柏林 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 柏 sometimes pronounced bó?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 柏林 it is read bó.
What parts is 柏 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 白 (white; plain), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 柏，鞠也。从木白聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：木 4 画 + 白 5 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 柏 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 柏?
木. 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 柏?
Common ones are 柏树 and 松柏. The reading of 柏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.