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鮑 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鮑bàoabalone; dried fish; surnamex, 16 strokes, radical 魚, rank #75468, Very Hard
bào(bao4) T4
  1. 1abalone; dried fish; surname
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鮑bào(bao4)

鮑 (bào) primarily refers to abalone, a type of marine mollusk considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. It can also denote dried fish, often used in traditional dishes. Additionally, 鮑 is a surname in China, though it is less common than many other surnames.

Strokes16Radical魚Frequency#75468DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, abalone is often associated with luxury and is served during important celebrations, such as weddings and festivals, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. This character reflects the significance of seafood in Chinese gastronomy.

Memory Tip

Think of 鮑 as a 'bowl of abalone' (sounds like 'bào') that you might find in a fancy Chinese restaurant. The character combines the fish radical 魚 (yú) with 包 (bāo), suggesting the idea of wrapping or containing something precious, like a prized abalone.

Meanings of 鮑

bào(bao4)
1abalone; dried fish; surname
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鮑

鮑Simplified
16Strokes
魚Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鮑

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Podcast: 鮑

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AI Study Notes for 鮑

Usage Notes

When using 鮑 in conversation, be mindful of its specific contexts; it is more common in culinary discussions. Avoid confusing it with similar sounding words, and note that the character is not frequently used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 鮑魚 (bàoyú, abalone) and 鮑魚乾 (bàoyúgān, dried abalone).

HSK Study Tips

While 鮑 is not included in the HSK levels, it can be linked to HSK vocabulary related to food and seafood. Students should focus on pronunciation and the context of use, especially in culinary discussions, to enhance their vocabulary around dining.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鮑 with similar characters like 魚 (fish) or 包 (to wrap), which can lead to misunderstanding. For example, saying '我喜欢包' (Wǒ xǐhuān bāo) instead of '我喜欢鮑' (Wǒ xǐhuān bào) when referring to abalone is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鮑

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Etymology of 鮑

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

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 包 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鮑.

Memory Hint

fish

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鮑

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 包 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鮑.

  1. 1The meaning half魚 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half包 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfish
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 鮑? 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 鮑?

Decomposition of 鮑

IDS Structure⿰魚包
鮑Full Character
=
魚yu2
left
包Bao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鮑?

How to say abalone; dried fish; surname in Chinese

“abalone; dried fish; surname” in Chinese is鮑bào

鮑 (bào) primarily refers to abalone, a type of marine mollusk considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. It can also denote dried fish, often used in traditional dishes. Additionally, 鮑 is a surname in China, though it is less common than many other surnames.

When to use 鮑

When using 鮑 in conversation, be mindful of its specific contexts; it is more common in culinary discussions. Avoid confusing it with similar sounding words, and note that the character is not frequently used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 鮑魚 (bàoyú, abalone) and 鮑魚乾 (bàoyúgān, dried abalone).

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鮑 with similar characters like 魚 (fish) or 包 (to wrap), which can lead to misunderstanding. For example, saying '我喜欢包' (Wǒ xǐhuān bāo) instead of '我喜欢鮑' (Wǒ xǐhuān bào) when referring to abalone is incorrect.

Write 鮑

鮑

Practice writing 鮑 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 鮑

Words Containing This Character5
鲍bàosurname Bao鮑
鲍威尔Powell (name)鮑威爾
鲍鱼abalone鮑魚
鲍耶János Bolyai (1802-1860), one of the discoverers of non-Euclidean geometry鮑耶
鲍罗廷Borodin (name)鮑羅廷
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 鲍 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鮑

In culinary terms, 鮑 refers specifically to abalone, which is highly prized in Chinese cuisine for its flavor and texture.

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