The character 防 — “defend”: how to write it and what it means
defend, prevent
The Chinese character 防 is read fáng and means “defend, prevent”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 防
防 has 6 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 防, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 防 is made of
On the left, 阝 “hill”: the first meaning is a dike. On the right, 方 fāng hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 防
- 预防prevent, preventionHSK 5
- 防止preventHSK 5
- 防治prevention and treatmentHSK 6
- 消防fire service; firefightingHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 防?
防 has 6 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 防 mean?
防 means “defend, prevent”. It appears in 预防 (“prevent”), 防止 (“prevent”), 防治 (“prevention and treatment”), 消防 (“fire service”).
How do you pronounce 防?
防 is read fáng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 防 have?
6 strokes.
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 防 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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