范 (fàn) is a Chinese character meaning “model”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 氾 (to overflow; to flood), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “model; pattern”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 氾
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：范，艸也。从艸氾聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 艹，笔画 4–8 与 氾 逐笔对应）
Memory aid
The grass top 艹 sits on 氾, which is here for its sound (fàn). Picture grass trimmed to one fixed shape — that shape is the 范, the model everything else is cut to.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 模范mó fànmodel; exemplary example范 = fàn
- 范围fàn wéiscope; range; extent范 = fàn
Go deeper
All readings
model; pattern
model; pattern; standard; scope; (surname) Fan
模子；可以照着做的样子或标准；也指界限，又用作姓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 模范mó fànmodel; exemplary example范 = fàn
- 范围fàn wéiscope; range; extent范 = fàn
Sound component
氾 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 范 mean?
范 (fàn) means model; pattern; standard; scope; (surname) Fan.
How do you pronounce 范?
It is pronounced fàn.
What parts is 范 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 氾 (to overflow; to flood), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：范，艸也。从艸氾聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 艹，笔画 4–8 与 氾 逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 范 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 范?
艹. 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 范?
Common ones are 模范 and 范围. The reading of 范 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.