泼 (pō) is a Chinese character meaning “to splash”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to splash”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 发
Left–right structure
Structure from: 《广韵》「潑，普活切」；传统字形 潑＝⿰氵發，简化后声符写作「发」。IDS 拆分 ⿰氵发 已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「发」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) being sent flying out (发) — that is a splash.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 活泼huó pōlively; vivacious泼 = pō
- 泼水pō shuǐto splash water; to throw water泼 = pō
Go deeper
All readings
to splash
to splash; to spill water; (of a person) bold and unruly
把液体用力洒出去；也形容人蛮横或泼辣有劲。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 活泼huó pōlively; vivacious泼 = pō
- 泼水pō shuǐto splash water; to throw water泼 = pō
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 泼 mean?
泼 (pō) means to splash; to spill water; (of a person) bold and unruly.
How do you pronounce 泼?
It is pronounced pō.
What parts is 泼 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), side by side. The recorded source is: 《广韵》「潑，普活切」；传统字形 潑＝⿰氵發，简化后声符写作「发」。IDS 拆分 ⿰氵发 已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「发」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 泼 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 泼?
氵. 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 泼?
Common ones are 活泼 and 泼水. The reading of 泼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.