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半bànhalf

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

半 (bàn) means "half" or "(after a number) and a half." It appears in 我吃了半个苹果。 (I ate half an apple.) and 我看了一个半小时的书。 (I read for an hour and a half.) In the dialogue, A asks if B is hungry, and B mentions the apple. Then A asks what B did, and B says B read.

What does 半 mean?

  1. 1.

    halfnumeral

  2. 2.

    (after a number) and a halfnumeral

What does the character 半 mean?

  • 半half

How do you use 半?

See it in 半个苹果 and 一个半小时

What are some examples of 半 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    我吃了半个苹果。

    Wǒ chī le bàn gè píngguǒ.

    I ate half an apple.

  2. HSK 1

    我看了一个半小时的书。

    Wǒ kàn le yí gè bàn xiǎoshí de shū.

    I read for an hour and a half.

How is 半 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你饿吗？

    Nǐ è ma?

    Are you hungry?

  2. Speaker B:

    不饿，我吃了半个苹果。

    Bú è, wǒ chī le bàn gè píngguǒ.

    No, I ate half an apple.

  3. Speaker A:

    你下午做什么了？

    Nǐ xiàwǔ zuò shénme le?

    What did you do this afternoon?

  4. Speaker B:

    我看了一个半小时的书。

    Wǒ kàn le yí gè bàn xiǎoshí de shū.

    I read for an hour and a half.

Can you use 半 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank (half): 我吃了___个苹果。 (I ate half an apple.)
  2. 2.What does 我看了一个半小时的书。 mean?
  3. 3.Which word means "half"?

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.