俘 (fú) is a Chinese character meaning “to take prisoner in war”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to capture; captive”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 孚
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 孚 to brood over eggs; to inspire trust · fú sound
Structure from: 说文解字：俘，軍所獲也。从人孚聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–2 为 亻，笔画 3–9 与 孚 逐笔对应，其中 3–6 为 爫、7–9 为 子）
Memory aid
A person 亻 standing next to 孚, which is here for its sound (fú). The person is the one taken — a captive is always a person someone else is holding.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 俘虏fú lǔprisoner of war; captive; to take prisoner俘 = fú
- 战俘zhàn fúprisoner of war俘 = fú
Go deeper
All readings
to capture; captive
to take prisoner in war; a captured enemy soldier
打仗时捉住敌人；也指被捉住的敌人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 俘虏fú lǔprisoner of war; captive; to take prisoner俘 = fú
- 战俘zhàn fúprisoner of war俘 = fú
Sound component
孚 family exact
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 俘 mean?
俘 (fú) means to take prisoner in war; a captured enemy soldier.
How do you pronounce 俘?
It is pronounced fú.
What parts is 俘 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：俘，軍所獲也。从人孚聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–2 为 亻，笔画 3–9 与 孚 逐笔对应，其中 3–6 为 爫、7–9 为 子）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 俘 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 俘?
亻. 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 俘?
Common ones are 俘虏 and 战俘. The reading of 俘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.