抚 (fǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to comfort”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 无 (not have; without), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to comfort; to stroke”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 无
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：撫，安也。从手無聲（简化字「抚」以「无」代「無」，形声构形不变）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) laid on someone who has nothing (无) left — you pat them and comfort them. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 抚摸fǔ mōto stroke; to caress抚 = fǔ
- 安抚ān fǔto comfort; to soothe抚 = fǔ
- 抚恤fǔ xùto provide relief or compensation to the bereaved or disabled抚 = fǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to comfort; to stroke
to comfort; to console; to stroke gently with the hand
用手轻轻地摸；安慰、抚养。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 抚摸fǔ mōto stroke; to caress抚 = fǔ
- 安抚ān fǔto comfort; to soothe抚 = fǔ
- 抚恤fǔ xùto provide relief or compensation to the bereaved or disabled抚 = fǔ
Sound component
无 family onset shift
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 抚 mean?
抚 (fǔ) means to comfort; to console; to stroke gently with the hand.
How do you pronounce 抚?
It is pronounced fǔ.
What parts is 抚 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 无 (not have; without), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：撫，安也。从手無聲（简化字「抚」以「无」代「無」，形声构形不变）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 抚 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 抚?
扌. 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 抚?
Common ones are 抚摸 and 安抚. The reading of 抚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.