炮 (pào) is a Chinese character meaning “cannon”. It is written from 火 (fire) and 包 (to wrap; bundle), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “cannon; firecracker”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
火 + 包
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「炮，毛炙肉也。从火包聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰火包，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「火」四画，笔画 4–8 与「包」逐笔对应（4+5=9画）
Memory aid
Fire (火) on the left, 包 "to wrap" on the right: powder wrapped up tight, then lit — that is a firecracker, and a cannon.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 鞭炮biān pàofirecrackers炮 = pào
- 大炮dà pàocannon; artillery gun炮 = pào
Go deeper
All readings
cannon; firecracker
cannon; artillery piece; firecracker
用火药发射弹丸的重型武器；也指点燃后爆响的爆竹。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 鞭炮biān pàofirecrackers炮 = pào
- 大炮dà pàocannon; artillery gun炮 = pào
Rare readings, not taught: páo, bāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 炮 mean?
炮 (pào) means cannon; artillery piece; firecracker.
How do you pronounce 炮?
It is pronounced pào.
What parts is 炮 made of?
火 (fire) and 包 (to wrap; bundle), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「炮，毛炙肉也。从火包聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰火包，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「火」四画，笔画 4–8 与「包」逐笔对应（4+5=9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 炮 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 炮?
火. 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 炮?
Common ones are 鞭炮 and 大炮. The reading of 炮 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.