废 (fèi) is a Chinese character meaning “to abandon”. It is written from 广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to discard; waste”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
广 + 发
Enclosing structure
- 广 wide; dotted cliff radical · guǎng meaning
- 发 to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮) · fā sound
Structure from: 说文解字：廢，屋頓也。从广發聲；简化字形 废 由 广 与 发（發）组成，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（广3 + 发5 = 废8）
Memory aid
A shelter (广) with 发 underneath it. 发 is only here for the sound — and the sound has drifted far (fā vs fèi). What the shelter holds is no longer worth keeping: it gets thrown away.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 废物fèi wùwaste; junk; useless material废 = fèi
- 报废bào fèito scrap; to write off as no longer usable废 = fèi
Go deeper
All readings
to discard; waste
to abandon; to abolish; to scrap; no longer in use; waste
停止使用、舍弃不用；也指失去使用价值的（东西）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 废物fèi wùwaste; junk; useless material废 = fèi
- 报废bào fèito scrap; to write off as no longer usable废 = fèi
Sound component
发 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 废 mean?
废 (fèi) means to abandon; to abolish; to scrap; no longer in use; waste.
How do you pronounce 废?
It is pronounced fèi.
What parts is 废 made of?
广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：廢，屋頓也。从广發聲；简化字形 废 由 广 与 发（發）组成，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（广3 + 发5 = 废8）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 废 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 废?
广. 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 废?
Common ones are 废物 and 报废. The reading of 废 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.