八 bā — eight · English

八

bā

eight

At a glance · 八

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文象事物向两旁分开之形，为「分」之初文。隶楷定型为两笔相背的「八」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「八」本义为分开，后假借为数目八。

Structure

指事字，以两笔相背之形表示分别、分开之意。

At a glance

Pinyinbā

Radical八

Strokes2

UnicodeU+516B

Character type指事

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English eight The number eight; originally depicted things separating.

Français huit Le chiffre huit; à l'origine représentait une séparation.

Español ocho El número ocho; originalmente representaba algo separándose.

العربية ثمانية الرقم ثمانية؛ كان يصوّر الانفصال في الأصل.

Русский восемь Число восемь; изначально изображало разделение предметов.

Common words

八个bā gèeight
八月bā yuèAugust

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