斧 (fǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “axe”. It is written from 父 (father) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “axe”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
父 + 斤
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 斧，斫也。从斤父聲。
Memory aid
父 on top gives the sound (fù → fǔ); 斤 underneath is the blade. Sound above, cutting edge below — an axe.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 斧头fǔ tóuaxe; hatchet斧 = fǔ
- 斧子fǔ ziaxe (colloquial)斧 = fǔ
Go deeper
All readings
axe
axe; hatchet
砍东西的工具，有铁刃和木柄。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 斧头fǔ tóuaxe; hatchet斧 = fǔ
- 斧子fǔ ziaxe (colloquial)斧 = fǔ
Sound component
父 family tone diff
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 斧 mean?
斧 (fǔ) means axe; hatchet.
How do you pronounce 斧?
It is pronounced fǔ.
What parts is 斧 made of?
父 (father) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 斧，斫也。从斤父聲。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 斧 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 斧?
斤. 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 斧?
Common ones are 斧头 and 斧子. The reading of 斧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.