菲 (fēi) is a Chinese character meaning “fragrant”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 非 (not; non-), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “fragrant; Philippines”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 非
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 11 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 非 8 笔）
Memory aid
Under the grass radical (艹) stands 非. Picture plants lined up in two neat rows like the two sides of 非 — lush, fragrant greenery. 非 (fēi) also gives the sound: fēi.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 菲律宾Fēi lǜ bīnthe Philippines菲 = fēi
- 芳菲fāng fēifragrant flowers and plants; fragrance (literary)菲 = fēi
Go deeper
All readings
fragrant; luxuriant (plants); Philippines
fragrant; luxuriant (of flowers and plants); short for the Philippines
花草美盛、芳香。也用作「菲律宾」的简称。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 菲律宾Fēi lǜ bīnthe Philippines菲 = fēi
- 芳菲fāng fēifragrant flowers and plants; fragrance (literary)菲 = fēi
Sound component
非 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 菲 mean?
菲 (fēi) means fragrant; luxuriant (of flowers and plants); short for the Philippines.
How do you pronounce 菲?
It is pronounced fēi.
What parts is 菲 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 非 (not; non-), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 11 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 非 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 菲 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 菲?
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 菲?
Common ones are 菲律宾 and 芳菲. The reading of 菲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.