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HSK 3

黑板

blackboard

nounneutral
hēi1st tone
bǎn3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
hēibǎn
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
20
Register
neutral
Measure word
块 / 个

Stroke order for 黑板

黑板 is written with 20 strokes (: 12, : 8). The animation replays automatically.

What does 黑板 mean?

黑板 (hēibǎn) is the classroom blackboard — the dark green or black surface a teacher writes on with chalk.

Literally 'black board,' it is one of those compounds Chinese learners can almost guess. Two notes for English speakers: first, even though many modern classrooms in China now use white boards (白板 báibǎn) or electronic smart boards (电子白板), people still casually call any teaching board 黑板 out of habit, the same way English speakers say 'chalkboard' even when it is green; second, the standard measure word is (kuài, used for flat panels) rather than — say 一块黑板 not 一个黑板 to sound natural. 黑板 is also the source of the common school phrase 黑板报 (hēibǎn bào — wall-newspaper drawn on a blackboard).

Character by character

hēiblack
+
bǎnboard; plank
=
黑板

Memory hook: Black + board = blackboard. One of the most transparent compounds in HSK 3.

Example sentences

老师在黑板上写字。

Lǎoshī zài hēibǎn shàng xiě zì.

The teacher is writing on the blackboard.

neutral

请大家看黑板。

Qǐng dàjiā kàn hēibǎn.

Everyone please look at the blackboard.

spoken

谁愿意来擦黑板?

Shéi yuànyì lái cā hēibǎn?

Who's willing to come wipe the blackboard?

spoken

教室里有一块大黑板。

Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu yí kuài dà hēibǎn.

There's a big blackboard in the classroom.

neutral

Common phrases with 黑板

一块黑板yí kuài hēibǎna blackboard
黑板上hēibǎn shàngon the blackboard
擦黑板cā hēibǎnto wipe the blackboard
看黑板kàn hēibǎnto look at the blackboard
黑板报hēibǎn bàoblackboard newspaper (school bulletin)

Synonyms

白板báibǎn

白板 is a whiteboard — the modern dry-erase version. Use 白板 in offices and newer classrooms; 黑板 for traditional chalk boards. Many speakers still say 黑板 by habit even when the board is white.

板子bǎnzi

板子 is just 'board / plank' in general (a piece of wood, a cutting board). 黑板 is specifically a teaching board. Don't substitute one for the other in a classroom context.

Don't confuse 黑板 with

白板báibǎn

Same but different color, different object. 白板 is a whiteboard for markers; 黑板 is for chalk. They are not interchangeable.

黑色hēisè

黑色 means 'the color black' (an adjective/noun). 黑板 is a specific object. Don't say 黑色 when you mean the board itself.

FAQ

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