半
half
bàn
What does 半 mean?
半 (bàn) means 'half' and functions as a number-like modifier. It comes after a whole number and a measure word to mean 'and a half' — 一个半小时 ('one and a half hours'), 两年半 ('two and a half years'). It also comes before a measure word alone to mean 'half a __' — 半个苹果 ('half an apple'), 半杯水 ('half a glass of water').
The most common everyday use is in telling time: X点半 means 'half past X' — 七点半 ('seven thirty'). 半 can also mean 'partly' or 'half-' in compounds: 半天 ('half a day' or, idiomatically, 'a long while'), 半夜 ('midnight / middle of the night'), 一半 ('one half'). Two notes for English speakers: 半 must take a measure word when modifying a noun, and 半 + verb often means 'halfway' (说到一半 'halfway through speaking').
Note:
Character breakdown
half
Memory hook: Imagine the character as something split down the middle by the vertical stroke — split in half.
Example sentences
现在是七点半。
Xiànzài shì qī diǎn bàn.
It's seven thirty now.
spoken
我吃了半个苹果。
Wǒ chī le bàn gè píngguǒ.
I ate half an apple.
spoken
他等了半个小时。
Tā děng le bàn gè xiǎoshí.
He waited for half an hour.
neutral
这本书我只看了一半。
Zhè běn shū wǒ zhǐ kàn le yíbàn.
I've only read half of this book.
neutral
半夜了，快去睡觉吧。
Bànyè le, kuài qù shuìjiào ba.
It's the middle of the night — hurry and go to sleep.
spoken
Common phrases with 半
Don't confuse 半 with
Same pinyin and tone — 办 means 'to handle / to do' (办公室 'office,' 办法 'method'). Visually similar but 办 has different strokes on top. 我半天没办完 ('I spent half a day and didn't finish') shows both characters.
伴 means 'companion' (同伴, 伙伴). Same sound, different character with a person radical 亻on the left. Beginners sometimes write 半 where 伴 belongs.
FAQ
Acquire by listening
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