笨 (bèn) is a Chinese character meaning “stupid”. It is written from ⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 本 (root; base; origin), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “stupid; clumsy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺮ + 本
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 11 笔核验：⺮ 6 笔 + 本 5 笔）；说文解字：笨，从竹本聲
Memory aid
Bamboo (⺮) piled on top of a root (本) — a big, heavy lump that can't move nimbly: clumsy, stupid.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 笨重bèn zhòngheavy and cumbersome; unwieldy笨 = bèn
- 笨拙bèn zhuōclumsy; awkward; unskilful笨 = bèn
- 笨蛋bèn dànfool; idiot (informal, can be rude)笨 = bèn
Go deeper
All readings
stupid; clumsy
stupid; slow-witted; clumsy; awkward; cumbersome and heavy
不聪明，理解和记忆能力差；不灵巧；也指东西粗大沉重、不方便。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 笨重bèn zhòngheavy and cumbersome; unwieldy笨 = bèn
- 笨拙bèn zhuōclumsy; awkward; unskilful笨 = bèn
- 笨蛋bèn dànfool; idiot (informal, can be rude)笨 = bèn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 笨 mean?
笨 (bèn) means stupid; slow-witted; clumsy; awkward; cumbersome and heavy.
How do you pronounce 笨?
It is pronounced bèn.
What parts is 笨 made of?
⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 本 (root; base; origin), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 11 笔核验：⺮ 6 笔 + 本 5 笔）；说文解字：笨，从竹本聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 笨 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 笨?
竹. 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 笨?
Common ones are 笨重, 笨拙, 笨蛋. The reading of 笨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.