仆 (pú) is a Chinese character meaning “servant”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 卜 (divination), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “servant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 卜
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+4EC6 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「卜」2 笔 = 4 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) stands on the left; on the right is 卜, a divining stick. Picture someone who waits at the master's side and is sent off at every sign — a servant.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 仆人pú rénservant仆 = pú
- 女仆nǚ púmaid; female servant仆 = pú
Go deeper
All readings
servant
servant; a person employed to serve in a household
受雇为别人做事、供人使唤的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 仆人pú rénservant仆 = pú
- 女仆nǚ púmaid; female servant仆 = pú
Rare readings, not taught: pū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 仆 mean?
仆 (pú) means servant; a person employed to serve in a household.
How do you pronounce 仆?
It is pronounced pú.
What parts is 仆 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 卜 (divination), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+4EC6 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「卜」2 笔 = 4 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 仆 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 仆?
人. 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 仆?
Common ones are 仆人 and 女仆. The reading of 仆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.