乏 (fá) is a Chinese character meaning “to lack”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 之 (of; it), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “to lack”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 之
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+4E4F and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (stroke 1 = 撇; strokes 2-4 match 之)
Memory aid
A single 丿 lies across the top of 之 like a bar dropped over a doorway — nothing gets through, and what you needed is missing. 乏 is to lack.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 缺乏quē fáto lack; to be short of乏 = fá
- 贫乏pín fápoor; scanty; lacking乏 = fá
Go deeper
All readings
to lack
to lack; to be short of; lacking; (also) tired, weary
缺少；不足。也表示疲倦、没有力气。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 缺乏quē fáto lack; to be short of乏 = fá
- 贫乏pín fápoor; scanty; lacking乏 = fá
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 乏 mean?
乏 (fá) means to lack; to be short of; lacking; (also) tired, weary.
How do you pronounce 乏?
It is pronounced fá.
What parts is 乏 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 之 (of; it), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+4E4F and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (stroke 1 = 撇; strokes 2-4 match 之). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 乏 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 乏?
丿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 乏?
Common ones are 缺乏 and 贫乏. The reading of 乏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.