The character 费 — “fee”: how to write it and what it means

费
fèi

fee; spend

9 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 费 is read fèi and means “fee; spend”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 费

费 has 9 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 费, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 费 is made of

At the bottom, 贝 — “shell, money”.

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

Words with 费

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 费?

费 has 9 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 费 mean?

费 means “fee; spend”. It appears in 免费 (“free”), 收费 (“charge a fee”), 费用 (“expenses”), 浪费 (“waste”).

How do you pronounce 费?

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

How many strokes does 费 have?

9 strokes.

← 免 spare付 pay →

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 费 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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