contributes the sense of an earthen mound or raised bank of land · Kangxi radical 170

contributes the sense of an earthen mound or raised bank of land, and by extension abundance

The oldest forms show a tall vertical shape with a row of short marks stacked along one side, generally read as a raised bank or hill seen from the side, though what the marks were meant to picture is not settled. In the modern printed form 阜 that stacked side has been squared off into the horizontal strokes under the top 丿, with the long vertical of the bank still running down the middle. As a full character it stays visible in 埠 "wharf," a built-up bank of earth at the water's edge, where it sits beside 土 "earth." Note that the compressed left-side form 阝 in characters like 陽 and 陸 comes from this same mound, not from the 阝 on the right side, which is a different component.

阜 at a glance

Meaning
contributes the sense of an earthen mound or raised bank of land
Strokes
8
Characters
1
Role
Contributes sound
Kangxi radical
170

Characters with 阜

Beyond HSK · 1

Frequently asked questions

What does the component 阜 mean?

阜 means "contributes the sense of an earthen mound or raised bank of land". In the characters that contain it, it contributes sound.

How many Chinese characters contain 阜?

1 character in this dictionary contain 阜.

Is 阜 a radical?

Yes — 阜 is Kangxi radical 170, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.

How many strokes does 阜 have?

阜 is written in 8 strokes.