班 (bān) is a Chinese character meaning “class”. It is written from 王 (king) and 刂 (knife (side form)) and 王 (king), and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “class; shift”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
王 + 刂 + 王
Left–middle–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·玨部（班，分瑞玉。从玨从刀）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：10 画 = 王字旁 4 画 + 中间刀形 2 画 + 王 4 画
Memory aid
A knife (刂) stands between two pieces of jade (王 王), splitting them into shares for everyone in the group. A group that shares things out is a 班 — a class or a work shift.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 上班shàng bānto go to work; to be at work班 = bān
- 班级bān jíclass (in school); grade班 = bān
- 航班háng bānflight; scheduled flight or sailing班 = bān
Go deeper
All readings
class; shift
class; team; squad; work shift; measure word for groups and scheduled runs
为学习或工作编成的集体；按时间分成的工作段；也用作集体或定时交通工具的量词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 上班shàng bānto go to work; to be at work班 = bān
- 班级bān jíclass (in school); grade班 = bān
- 航班háng bānflight; scheduled flight or sailing班 = bān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 班 mean?
班 (bān) means class; team; squad; work shift; measure word for groups and scheduled runs.
How do you pronounce 班?
It is pronounced bān.
What parts is 班 made of?
王 (king) and 刂 (knife (side form)) and 王 (king). The recorded source is: 说文解字·玨部（班，分瑞玉。从玨从刀）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：10 画 = 王字旁 4 画 + 中间刀形 2 画 + 王 4 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 班 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 班?
玉. 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 班?
Common ones are 上班 and 班级. The reading of 班 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.