票

mostly supplies the sound piāo/biāo/piào · Character component

mostly supplies the sound piāo/biāo/piào, often with an accompanying hint of something light, quick, or drifting

The old form of 票 showed fire 火 underneath a covering element, picturing sparks and embers lifted up and carried off — hence the ideas of lightness, floating, and speed. In the modern character the bottom half has been flattened into something that looks like 示, but it is really that fire, and the top 覀 is the old cover; only later did 票 come to mean a slip of paper, ticket or bank note. Inside other characters 票 is nearly always the sound part, as in 漂 (float on water), 飘 (flutter in the wind), and 镖 (a metal dart), where the flying, drifting feel still shows through.

票 at a glance

Meaning

mostly supplies the sound piāo/biāo/piào

Strokes

11

Characters

20

Role

Contributes sound

Characters with 票 (15 of 20)

Frequently asked questions