伏 (fú) is a Chinese character meaning “to lie prone”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 犬 (dog), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to lie low”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 犬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（大徐本）: 伏，司也。从人从犬
Memory aid
A person (亻) and a dog (犬) crouched down side by side, keeping still and out of sight. Both parts are really in this character — and together they mean: lie low.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 起伏qǐ fúto rise and fall; to undulate伏 = fú
- 埋伏mái fúto ambush; to lie in wait伏 = fú
Go deeper
All readings
to lie low
to lie prone; to bend over; to lie in wait; to hide; to subside
脸向下趴着；低下去；隐藏起来不让人发现。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 起伏qǐ fúto rise and fall; to undulate伏 = fú
- 埋伏mái fúto ambush; to lie in wait伏 = fú
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 伏 mean?
伏 (fú) means to lie prone; to bend over; to lie in wait; to hide; to subside.
How do you pronounce 伏?
It is pronounced fú.
What parts is 伏 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 犬 (dog), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（大徐本）: 伏，司也。从人从犬. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 伏 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 伏?
人. 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 伏?
Common ones are 起伏 and 埋伏. The reading of 伏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.