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本 — root; stem; origin

root; stem; origin; source; one's own; this; this; the current

Pinyin
běn
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 1
Handwriting
recognition only

How to write 本: 5 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. The syllabus asks you to recognise this character rather than write it by hand.

本 — 5 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 本

Words with 本 in the HSK syllabus: 34

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 本běnroot; stem; origin; source; one's own; thisHSK 1
  2. 本子běnzibook; notebookHSK 2
  3. 笔记本bǐjìběnnotebook; laptop; notebookHSK 3
  4. 课本kèběntextbookHSK 3
  5. 本科běnkēundergraduate course; undergraduateHSK 4
  6. 本来běnláioriginal; originally; at firstHSK 4
  7. 基本jīběnbasic; fundamental; main; elementaryHSK 4
  8. 基本上jīběnshàngbasically; on the wholeHSK 4
  9. 本地běndìlocal; this localityHSK 5
  10. 本领běnlǐngskill; ability; capabilityHSK 5
  11. 本人běnrénI; me; myselfHSK 5
  12. 本质běnzhìessence; nature; innate character; intrinsic qualityHSK 5
  13. 成本chéngběncostsHSK 5
  14. 根本gēnběnfundamental; basic; root; simply; absolutely; at allHSK 5
  15. 版本bǎnběnversion; edition; releaseHSK 6
  16. 本能běnnénginstinctHSK 6
  17. 本身běnshēnitself; in itself; per seHSK 6
  18. 本土běntǔone's native country; native; localHSK 6
  19. 剧本jùběnscript; screenplay; scenario; librettoHSK 6
  20. 原本yuánběnoriginallyHSK 6
  21. 资本zīběncapitalHSK 6
  22. 本分běnfènone's part; one's role; one's duty; one's boundsHSK 7–9
  23. 本钱běnqiáncapital; asset; advantage; the meansHSK 7–9
  24. 本色běnsèinherent qualities; natural qualitiesHSK 7–9
  25. 本事běnshiability; skillHSK 7–9
  26. 本性běnxìngnatural instincts; nature; inherent qualityHSK 7–9
  27. 本意běnyìoriginal idea; real intention; etymonHSK 7–9
  28. 本着běnzhebased on...; in conformance with..HSK 7–9
  29. 标本biāoběnspecimen; sampleHSK 7–9
  30. 副本fùběncopy; duplicate; transcriptHSK 7–9
  31. 基本功jīběngōngbasic skills; fundamentalsHSK 7–9
  32. 亏本kuīběnto make a lossHSK 7–9
  33. 样本yàngběnsample; specimenHSK 7–9
  34. 资本主义zīběn zhǔyìcapitalismHSK 7–9

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.