版 (bǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “printing plate or block”. It is written from 片 (flat slice; sheet) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “printing plate; edition”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
片 + 反
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·片部：版，判也。从片反聲。
Memory aid
A flat slice of wood (片) on the left, turned over (反) on the right — a carved printing block you flip onto paper. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 出版chū bǎnto publish; to come out in print版 = bǎn
- 版本bǎn běnedition; version版 = bǎnspoken asbán běn
Go deeper
All readings
printing plate; edition
printing plate or block; edition; version; page of a newspaper
供印刷用的底板；书刊排印的一次或一种，也指报纸的一面。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 出版chū bǎnto publish; to come out in print版 = bǎn
- 版本bǎn běnedition; version版 = bǎnspoken asbán běn
Sound component
反 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 版 mean?
版 (bǎn) means printing plate or block; edition; version; page of a newspaper.
How do you pronounce 版?
It is pronounced bǎn.
What parts is 版 made of?
片 (flat slice; sheet) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·片部：版，判也。从片反聲。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 版 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 版?
片. 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 版?
Common ones are 出版 and 版本. The reading of 版 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.