芬 (fēn) is a Chinese character meaning “sweet smell”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 分 (to divide; a share), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “fragrance”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 分
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字（芬，艸初生其香分布。从屮，分聲）；现代字形上部作艹
Memory aid
Plants (艹) whose scent divides and spreads (分) through the air — fragrance. 分 also gives the sound: fēn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 芬芳fēn fāngfragrant; sweet-smelling; fragrance芬 = fēn
- 芬兰Fēn lánFinland芬 = fēn
Go deeper
All readings
fragrance
sweet smell; fragrance; perfume of grass and flowers
花草的香气；芳香。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 芬芳fēn fāngfragrant; sweet-smelling; fragrance芬 = fēn
- 芬兰Fēn lánFinland芬 = fēn
Sound component
分 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 芬 mean?
芬 (fēn) means sweet smell; fragrance; perfume of grass and flowers.
How do you pronounce 芬?
It is pronounced fēn.
What parts is 芬 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 分 (to divide; a share), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（芬，艸初生其香分布。从屮，分聲）；现代字形上部作艹. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 芬 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 芬?
艸. 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 芬?
Common ones are 芬芳 and 芬兰. The reading of 芬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.