The character 服 — “clothes”: how to write it and what it means
clothes; serve
The Chinese character 服 is read fú and means “clothes; serve”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 服
服 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 服, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 服 is made of
In 衣服 it is read with the neutral tone.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 服
- 衣服clothesHSK 1
- 舒服comfortable; feel wellHSK 2
- 服务serve; serviceHSK 3
- 服装clothing (as goods)HSK 5
- 客服customer serviceHSK 5
- 克服overcomeHSK 5
- 说服convinceHSK 5
- 服用take (medicine orally)HSK 6
- 佩服admire, respectHSK 6
- 服从obey, submitHSK 6
- 羽绒服down jacketHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 服?
服 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 服 mean?
服 means “clothes; serve”. It appears in 衣服 (“clothes”), 舒服 (“comfortable”), 服务 (“serve”), 服装 (“clothing”).
How do you pronounce 服?
服 is read fú. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 服 have?
8 strokes.
← 衣 clothing件 measure word: clothes →
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 服 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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