半

bàn

number HSK 1 #612

Meanings

1 half
2 semi-

Characters

Examples

现在三点半。

Xiànzài sān diǎn bàn.

It's 3:30 now.

我等了半个小时。

Wǒ děng le bàn ge xiǎoshí.

I waited for half an hour.

给我半杯水。

Gěi wǒ bàn bēi shuǐ.

Give me half a glass of water.

Tips

memory

The character 半 looks like the number 8 (八) split by a vertical line — literally cutting something in half.

grammar

For time, 半 goes after the hour: 三点半 (3:30). For quantities, 半 goes before the measure word: 半个 (half a).

Stroke Order

半 bàn