黑板
blackboard
hēibǎn
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 块 (kuài, used for flat panels) rather than 个 — 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 breakdown
black
board; plank
Memory hook: Black + board = blackboard. One of the most transparent compounds in HSK 3.
Measure word for 黑板
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
Synonyms
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 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.