胞 (bāo) is a Chinese character meaning “the membrane wrapping a fetus”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 包 (to wrap; bundle), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “cell”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 包
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⿰月包，4+5=9 笔）
Memory aid
On the left, the flesh form of 月 — the one that shows up in body characters. On the right, 包 "to wrap". Living flesh wrapped in a skin: a cell, or two people wrapped in the same womb. 包 also carries the sound: bāo.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 细胞xì bāocell (biology)胞 = bāo
- 同胞tóng bāosibling born of the same parents; compatriot胞 = bāo
Go deeper
All readings
cell; born of the same parents
the membrane wrapping a fetus; by extension, born of the same parents or the same country; in biology, a cell
包裹胎儿的膜；引申指同父母所生的人或同一国家、民族的人；生物学上指细胞。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 细胞xì bāocell (biology)胞 = bāo
- 同胞tóng bāosibling born of the same parents; compatriot胞 = bāo
Sound component
包 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胞 mean?
胞 (bāo) means the membrane wrapping a fetus; by extension, born of the same parents or the same country; in biology, a cell.
How do you pronounce 胞?
It is pronounced bāo.
What parts is 胞 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 包 (to wrap; bundle), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（⿰月包，4+5=9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胞 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胞?
月. 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 胞?
Common ones are 细胞 and 同胞. The reading of 胞 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.