阪 (bǎn): slope

Meanings

1 slope
2 hillside

Characters

阪

bǎn

slope / hillside

Examples

HSK 4

大阪是日本著名城市。

Dàbǎn shì Rìběn zhùmíng chéngshì.

Osaka is a famous city in Japan.

HSK 7-9

古文中，阪指山坡或斜坡。

Gǔwén zhōng, bǎn zhǐ shānpō huò xiépō.

In classical Chinese, 阪 refers to a hillside or slope.

Tips

culture

While rare in modern Chinese, 阪 is best known to Chinese speakers through the Japanese city 大阪 (Ōsaka), written with the character meaning 'large slope.' Its use in Japanese placenames preserves an older Chinese meaning.

Components

radical

阝 fù

mound; hill (left-side radical of 阜)

Left mound radical - the side-form of 阜, picturing stacked earth/terraces seen from the side. The indexing radical, anchors 阪 in the terrain/elevation family: 阶 step, 险 dangerous, 阻 obstruct, 陡 steep. Marks 阪 as a feature of sloped land - a hillside, the original meaning preserved in the city name 大阪 Ōsaka (literally 'big slope').

phonetic

反 fǎn

reverse; turn over

Right 反 supplies the sound - fǎn shifting to bǎn with consonant change. Pure phonetic role; the 'reverse' meaning contributes nothing. Same phonetic family: 板 board, 版 edition, 饭 cooked rice, 返 return, 贩 trader.