How to write 表 (biǎo, “exterior surface”)

表 (biǎo), an HSK 2 character, means “exterior surface” and “to show”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. On its own it is an HSK 4 word; it also forms 手表 (“wristwatch”), 表演 (“play”) and 表现 (“to show”). Japanese reads it hyou, “surface”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.

Pinyin: biǎo
Strokes: 8
HSK: 2
Radical: 衣 (“clothes”)

Stroke by stroke

As a top-bottom character it splits into 毛 (“hair”), strokes 1–3; 衣 (“clothes”, the radical), strokes 4–8, written the top first.

top leftrightwards
top leftrightwards
topdownwards
leftrightwards
centerdown and left
centerdownwards → up and right
rightdownwards → down and left
centerdown and right

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (8 strokes in Japanese, 8 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 8 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 8 strokes

Where 表 comes from

Fur 毛 clothing 衣; a shawl or wrap

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
biǎo third tone	exterior surface; family relationship via females; to show (one's opinion); a model; a table (listing information)	—	手表表演表现时间表

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 2
2021 standard: level 2
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 218 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 表

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
表	biǎo	exterior surface; family relationship via females HSK 4
手表手錶	shǒubiǎo	wristwatch HSK 2
表演	biǎoyǎn	play; show HSK 3
表现表現	biǎoxiàn	to show; to show off HSK 4
时间表時間表	shíjiānbiǎo	schedule; timetable HSK 4
表扬表揚	biǎoyáng	to praise; to commend HSK 4
表格	biǎogé	form; table HSK 4
表示	biǎoshì	to express; to state HSK 4
表明	biǎomíng	to make clear; to make known HSK 5
表面	biǎomiàn	surface; face HSK 5

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 2, in list order: