HSK 3.0 Level 4 · Places

步 bù “step” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 步 means

  1. step
  2. pace
  3. stage (of a process)
  4. walk
  5. march
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • stages in a process
  • situation

How to say 步

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale步bù4th tone, falling

步 in a sentence

  1. 我不知道下一步做什么。

    Wǒ bù zhīdao xià yí bù zuò shénme.

    I don’t know what the next step is.

    Sentence #3636658 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我的爷爷喜欢散步。

    Wǒ de yéye xǐhuan sànbù.

    My grandfather likes going for walks.

    Sentence #1419192 from Tatoeba

  3. 你进步了。

    Nǐ jìnbù le.

    You’ve made progress.

    Sentence #5819684 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 步 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 步 (bù) drawn as one shape
步bùa step

步 is a single shape of 7 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidTwo feet, one in front of the other: a step.

How to write 步

步 7 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

步 (bù) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it
Stroke order chart for 步 (bù). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 步

Words with 步

跑步pǎobù · to run散步sànbù · to take a walk进步jìnbù · progress退步tuìbù · to regress步骤bùzhòu · procedure逐步zhúbù · progressively让步ràngbù · to concede初步chūbù · initial步伐bùfá · pace地步dìbù · extent

More words: Places & Getting Around

边biān · side车chē · car电影院diànyǐngyuàn · cinema店diàn · shop红绿灯hónglǜdēng · traffic lights检票jiǎnpiào · to check tickets区qū · district城chéng · city

FAQs

步 (bù) means “step” or “pace”. It is an HSK 3.0 Level 4 word.
Say it bù: bù with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 步 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type bu with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 步 from the suggestions. Typing bu into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
步 is an HSK 3.0 Level 4 word in the official 2021 syllabus, and it is on our HSK 3.0 Band 6 word list. It is not on the older HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.