颁 (bān) is a Chinese character meaning “to issue”. It is written from 分 (to divide; a share) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to issue; to award”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
分 + 页
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·頁部：頒，大頭也。从頁分聲（现代字形 ⿰分页；笔画核验 分4 + 页6 = 10）
Memory aid
Divide (分) a stack of pages (页) and hand one to everyone — that is 颁: to issue, to hand out officially.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 颁发bān fāto issue; to award (a prize, certificate)颁 = bān
- 颁布bān bùto promulgate; to issue officially (laws, regulations)颁 = bān
Go deeper
All readings
to issue; to award
to issue; to promulgate; to award; to confer
正式发布或授予，如颁布法令、颁发奖状。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 颁发bān fāto issue; to award (a prize, certificate)颁 = bān
- 颁布bān bùto promulgate; to issue officially (laws, regulations)颁 = bān
Sound component
分 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 颁 mean?
颁 (bān) means to issue; to promulgate; to award; to confer.
How do you pronounce 颁?
It is pronounced bān.
What parts is 颁 made of?
分 (to divide; a share) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·頁部：頒，大頭也。从頁分聲（现代字形 ⿰分页；笔画核验 分4 + 页6 = 10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 颁 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 颁?
页. 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 颁?
Common ones are 颁发 and 颁布. The reading of 颁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.