佛 (fó) is a Chinese character meaning “Buddha”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 弗 (not (classical negative); here used for its sound fú), side by side, and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, fú, which turns up in 仿佛 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “Buddha”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 弗
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 弗 not (classical negative); here used for its sound fú · fú sound
Structure from: IDS ⿰亻弗，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（第 1–2 笔构成 亻，第 3–7 笔构成 弗）；声符身份由 佛 fú / 弗 fú 同音互证
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 弗. 弗 is not here for its meaning — it is here for its sound, fú. So: a person you name by sound rather than by description. That is how the Buddha's name came into Chinese.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 佛教fó jiàoBuddhism佛 = fó
Go deeper
All readings
Buddha
Buddha; Buddhist; of Buddhism
佛陀；佛教及与佛教有关的事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 佛教fó jiàoBuddhism佛 = fó
used in 仿佛 (as if)
only in 仿佛 (fǎngfú): as if; seemingly
只用于「仿佛」，表示好像、似乎。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 仿佛fǎng fúas if; seemingly佛 = fú
Sound component
弗 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 佛 mean?
佛 (fó) means Buddha; Buddhist; of Buddhism.
How do you pronounce 佛?
Its main reading is fó. It also has a second reading, fú, which only shows up in certain words such as 仿佛 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 佛 sometimes pronounced fú?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 仿佛 it is read fú.
What parts is 佛 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 弗 (not (classical negative); here used for its sound fú), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰亻弗，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（第 1–2 笔构成 亻，第 3–7 笔构成 弗）；声符身份由 佛 fú / 弗 fú 同音互证. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 佛 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 佛?
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 佛?
Common ones are 佛教. The reading of 佛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.