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剝 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
剝bōto peel, to skin; to exploitx, 10 strokes, radical 刂
bō(bo1) T1
  1. 1to peel, to skin; to exploit
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

剝bō(bo1)

The character 剝 (bō) primarily means 'to peel' or 'to skin,' referring to the act of removing the outer layer of something, such as fruit or vegetables. It can also imply the exploitation of someone or something, particularly in a context where one party takes advantage of another.

Strokes10Radical刂
Cultural Note

In Chinese cuisine, peeling fruits and vegetables is an essential skill, reflecting the importance of fresh and visually appealing dishes. The act of peeling is often seen as a ritual in food preparation.

Memory Tip

Imagine a chef peeling a potato, where the blade of the knife (which looks like the character 剝) slices away the skin. The sound 'bō' can be remembered by thinking of the 'bore' of the knife as it goes through the skin, revealing the inner flesh.

Meanings of 剝

bō(bo1)
1to peel, to skin; to exploit
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 剝

剝Simplified
10Strokes
刂Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 剝

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Podcast: 剝

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 剝

Quick Contrast

剝 (bō) vs 揉 (róu) — use 剝 when specifically referring to peeling or removing skin, while 揉 indicates a softening or kneading action.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the context in which you use 剝, as it can imply a negative meaning when referring to exploitation. It is often used in both formal and informal settings, but more common in everyday conversation when discussing food. Common collocations include 剝皮 (bō pí, to peel the skin) and 剝削 (bō xuē, to exploit).

HSK Study Tips

While 剝 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary, it connects with other food-related terms and verbs at the same level. Students should focus on the radicals and similar verbs to strengthen their understanding of action words in Mandarin.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 剝 with other characters like 割 (gē, to cut), resulting in incorrect usage. For instance, saying '我想割苹果' (Wǒ xiǎng gē píngguǒ, I want to cut the apple) instead of '我想剝苹果' (Wǒ xiǎng bō píngguǒ, I want to peel the apple) is a common error.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 剝

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Etymology of 剝

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 录 represents the sound. Simplified form of 剝.

Memory Hint

knife

Semantic (meaning)刂
+
Phonetic (sound)彔
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 剝

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 录 represents the sound. Simplified form of 剝.

  1. 1The meaning half刂 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half彔 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayknife
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 剝? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 剝?

Decomposition of 剝

IDS Structure⿰彔刂
剝Full Character
=
彔lu4
left
刂dao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 剝?

How to say to peel, to skin; to exploit in Chinese

“to peel, to skin; to exploit” in Chinese is剝bō

The character 剝 (bō) primarily means 'to peel' or 'to skin,' referring to the act of removing the outer layer of something, such as fruit or vegetables. It can also imply the exploitation of someone or something, particularly in a context where one party takes advantage of another.

When to use 剝

Be cautious with the context in which you use 剝, as it can imply a negative meaning when referring to exploitation. It is often used in both formal and informal settings, but more common in everyday conversation when discussing food. Common collocations include 剝皮 (bō pí, to peel the skin) and 剝削 (bō xuē, to exploit).

剝 or something close to it

剝 (bō) vs 揉 (róu) — use 剝 when specifically referring to peeling or removing skin, while 揉 indicates a softening or kneading action.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 剝 with other characters like 割 (gē, to cut), resulting in incorrect usage. For instance, saying '我想割苹果' (Wǒ xiǎng gē píngguǒ, I want to cut the apple) instead of '我想剝苹果' (Wǒ xiǎng bō píngguǒ, I want to peel the apple) is a common error.

Write 剝

剝

Practice writing 剝 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 剝

Words Containing This Character11
剥bāoto peel剝
剥夺bōduóto deprive剝奪
剥削bōxuēto exploit剝削
剥离to peel剝離
生吞活剥to swallow whole (idiom); fig. to apply uncritically生吞活剝
剥落to peel off剝落
剥削阶级exploiting class (in Marxist theory)剝削階級
剥皮to skin剝皮
盘剥to exploit盤剝
剥削者exploiter (of labor)剝削者
剥蚀to corrode剝蝕
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 剥 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 剝

Common phrases include 剝橙子 (bō chéngzi, to peel an orange) and 剝皮 (bō pí, to peel the skin).

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