The character 腐 — “rotten”: how to write it and what it means

腐
fǔ

rotten, rot

14 strokes · HSK 5

The Chinese character 腐 is read fǔ and means “rotten, rot”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 腐

腐 has 14 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 腐, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 腐 is made of

At the bottom, 肉 “meat”; on top, 府 fǔ hints at the sound. In 豆腐 it's read in the neutral tone: fu.

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

Words with 腐

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 腐?

腐 has 14 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 腐 mean?

腐 means “rotten, rot”. It appears in 豆腐 (“tofu”).

How do you pronounce 腐?

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

How many strokes does 腐 have?

14 strokes.

← 浓 thick臭 smelly →

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 腐 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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