仿 (fǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “to imitate”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 方 (square; direction (Kangxi radical 70)), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to imitate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 方
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 方 square; direction (Kangxi radical 70) · fāng sound
Structure from: studyhanzi 构形核验（IDS ⿰亻方；笔画 2+4=6，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺数据一致）
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 方 — and 方 is not here for its meaning, it is here for its sound: fāng → fǎng. A person copying the shape beside them: to imitate.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 模仿mó fǎngto imitate; to copy仿 = fǎng
- 仿佛fǎng fúas if; seemingly仿 = fǎng
Go deeper
All readings
to imitate
to imitate; to copy; to model after; resembling
照着已有的样子做；模拟、效法。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 模仿mó fǎngto imitate; to copy仿 = fǎng
- 仿佛fǎng fúas if; seemingly仿 = fǎng
Sound component
方 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 仿 mean?
仿 (fǎng) means to imitate; to copy; to model after; resembling.
How do you pronounce 仿?
It is pronounced fǎng.
What parts is 仿 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 方 (square; direction (Kangxi radical 70)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 构形核验（IDS ⿰亻方；笔画 2+4=6，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺数据一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 仿 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 仿?
亻. 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 仿?
Common ones are 模仿 and 仿佛. The reading of 仿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.