父
marks words for father and male elders · Kangxi radical 88
marks words for father and male elders, and also acts as the sound fǔ in a few characters
父 began as a picture of a hand grasping a stick or stone axe — the adult male of the household holding his tool. In the modern shape you can still read the two short strokes at the top as the fingers of the hand, with the long crossing strokes below as the shaft held in the grip. From "the one who wields the axe" it came to mean father, which is why it heads 爸, 爹 and 爷. In 斧 (hatchet) and 釜 (cooking pot) it is doing double duty, supplying the sound fǔ.
父 at a glance
- Meaning
- marks words for father and male elders
- Strokes
- 4
- Characters
- 6
- Role
- Usually contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 88
Characters with 父 (5 of 6)
HSK 1 · 1
HSK 3 · 1
Beyond HSK · 3
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 父 mean?
父 means "marks words for father and male elders". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 父?
6 characters in this dictionary contain 父, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 3.
Is 父 a radical?
Yes — 父 is Kangxi radical 88, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 父 have?
父 is written in 4 strokes.