How to write 漂 (piāo, “to float”)
漂, an HSK 1 character, is read piāo for “to float” and “to drift”, and also piǎo (“to bleach”) and piào (“used in 漂亮”). It is HSK 1 in the 2025 syllabus, down from level 2 in the 2021 standard. As a left-right character it splits into 氵 (“water”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 票 (“ticket”), strokes 4–14, written the left part first. With 14 strokes it is one of the longest to write at HSK 1. On its own it is an HSK 6 word; it also forms 漂亮 (“pretty”), 漂流 (“to float on the current”) and 漂浮 (“to float”). Japanese reads it hyou, “drift”, as a JLPT N1 kanji.
- Pinyin
- piāo, piǎo, piào
- Strokes
- 14
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 氵 (“water”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Rising stroke ㇀bottom leftupwards
- Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
- Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕toprightwards → downwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Vertical ㇑topdown and right → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑centerdownwards → leftwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒bottomdown and left
- Dot ㇔bottom rightdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 14 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| piāo first tone | to float; to drift | — | 漂流 漂浮 漂泊 打水漂 |
| piǎo third tone | to bleach | — | 漂白 漂白水 漂洗 漂绿 |
| piào fourth tone | used in 漂亮 (piàoliang) | — | 漂亮 漂亮话 爱漂亮 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 2
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 34 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 漂
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 漂 | piāo | to float; to drift HSK 6 |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty; beautiful HSK 1 |
| 漂流 | piāoliú | to float on the current; to drift along or about HSK 7-9 |
| 漂浮 | piāofú | to float; to hover HSK 7-9 |
| 漂泊 | piāobó | to float; to drift HSK 7-9 |
| 漂白 | piǎobái | to bleach; to whiten |
| 打水漂 | dǎshuǐpiāo | to skip stones (on water); to squander one's money on a bad investment |
| 漂亮话 漂亮話 | piàolianghuà | fine-sounding but empty words |
| 漂白水 | piǎobáishuǐ | bleach |
| 爱漂亮 愛漂亮 | àipiàoliang | to like looking attractive (usually of girls); aestheticism |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Keep going
HSK 1, in list order: