The character 乏 — “lack”: how to write it and what it means

乏
fá

lack; tired

4 strokes · HSK 5

The Chinese character 乏 is read fá and means “lack; tired”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 乏

乏 has 4 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 乏, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 乏 is made of

In 缺乏 both characters mean “lack”.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 乏

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 乏?

乏 has 4 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 乏 mean?

乏 means “lack; tired”. It appears in 缺乏 (“lack”).

How do you pronounce 乏?

乏 is read fá. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 乏 have?

4 strokes.

← 素 plain属 belong to →

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 乏 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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