字Study Chinese Characters
发

fā to send out

also read fà in 理发 — see below

5 strokes

发 (fā) is a Chinese character meaning “to send out”. It is written from ㇜ (left-falling stroke turning upward (pie-zhe)) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and 又 (again) and ㇔ (dot stroke), and takes 5 strokes. It has a second reading, fà, which turns up in 理发 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.

Build the character for “to send out”

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Structure

㇜ + ㇒ + 又 + ㇔

Overlapping structure

  • ㇜ left-falling stroke turning upward (pie-zhe) unknown
  • ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
  • 又 again · yòu unknown
  • ㇔ dot stroke unknown

Structure from: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1 笔㇜、第 2 笔㇒、第 3–4 笔构成又、第 5 笔㇔)

Memory aid

A stroke that drops and turns right (㇜) with a long falling stroke (㇒) sweeping down past it, a hand (又) underneath and one dot (㇔) flicked off to the right — everything is being sent outward.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

5 strokes

In real words

  • 发现fā xiànto discover; to find out发 = fāHSK 3
  • 出发chū fāto set out; to depart发 = fāHSK 3
  • 发呆fā dāito stare blankly; to daydream发 = fā
  • 发抖fā dǒuto tremble; to shiver; to shake发 = fā
  • 发芽fā yáto sprout; to germinate发 = fā
  • 发财fā cáito get rich; to make a fortune发 = fā
  • 发达fā dádeveloped; advanced; flourishing发 = fāHSK 5
  • 抒发shū fāto express; to give voice to (a feeling)发 = fā
  • 沙发shā fāsofa; couch发 = fāHSK 3
  • 勃发bó fāto burst out; to break out; to flourish suddenly发 = fā
  • 发射fā shèto launch; to fire; to emit发 = fā
  • 发展fā zhǎnto develop; development发 = fā
  • 发怒fā nùto get angry; to flare up发 = fā
  • 发怔fā zhèngto stare blankly; to be lost in a daze发 = fā
  • 发掘fā juéto excavate; to unearth; to discover (talent, potential)发 = fā
  • 发泄fā xièto vent (emotions)发 = fā
  • 发烧fā shāoto have a fever发 = fā
  • 发疯fā fēngto go mad; to lose one's mind发 = fā
  • 发痒fā yǎngto itch; to feel itchy发 = fā
  • 发育fā yùto grow; to develop (physically)发 = fāHSK 5
  • 发臭fā chòuto start to stink; to go bad发 = fā
  • 焕发huàn fāto shine forth; to be full of (vigor, energy)发 = fā
  • 萌发méng fāto germinate; to sprout; to begin to emerge发 = fā
  • 颁发bān fāto issue; to award (a prize, certificate)发 = fā
Go deeper

All readings

fā main reading

to send out

to send out; to issue; to emit; to come about

把东西送出、放出；也表示事情产生出来。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 发现fā xiànto discover; to find out发 = fāHSK 3
  • 出发chū fāto set out; to depart发 = fāHSK 3
  • 发呆fā dāito stare blankly; to daydream发 = fā
  • 发抖fā dǒuto tremble; to shiver; to shake发 = fā
  • 发芽fā yáto sprout; to germinate发 = fā
  • 发财fā cáito get rich; to make a fortune发 = fā
  • 发达fā dádeveloped; advanced; flourishing发 = fāHSK 5
  • 抒发shū fāto express; to give voice to (a feeling)发 = fā
  • 沙发shā fāsofa; couch发 = fāHSK 3
  • 勃发bó fāto burst out; to break out; to flourish suddenly发 = fā
  • 发射fā shèto launch; to fire; to emit发 = fā
  • 发展fā zhǎnto develop; development发 = fā
  • 发怒fā nùto get angry; to flare up发 = fā
  • 发怔fā zhèngto stare blankly; to be lost in a daze发 = fā
  • 发掘fā juéto excavate; to unearth; to discover (talent, potential)发 = fā
  • 发泄fā xièto vent (emotions)发 = fā
  • 发烧fā shāoto have a fever发 = fā
  • 发疯fā fēngto go mad; to lose one's mind发 = fā
  • 发痒fā yǎngto itch; to feel itchy发 = fā
  • 发育fā yùto grow; to develop (physically)发 = fāHSK 5
  • 发臭fā chòuto start to stink; to go bad发 = fā
  • 焕发huàn fāto shine forth; to be full of (vigor, energy)发 = fā
  • 萌发méng fāto germinate; to sprout; to begin to emerge发 = fā
  • 颁发bān fāto issue; to award (a prize, certificate)发 = fā
fà

hair (on the head)

hair (on the head)

人头上长的毛。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 理发lǐ fàto get a haircut发 = fà
  • 千钧一发qiān jūn yí fàhanging by a thread; a critical moment发 = fà
  • 卷发juǎn fàcurly hair发 = fà

Other characters with these parts

㇜ → 东丝乡互亥车

㇒ → 不丘为丹久乌乍乡

又 → 仅凤劝叉及双友反

㇔ → 不专为丹书予亦今

Easy to confuse with

友反

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 发 mean?

发 (fā) means to send out; to issue; to emit; to come about.

How do you pronounce 发?

Its main reading is fā. It also has a second reading, fà, which only shows up in certain words such as 理发 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.

Why is 发 sometimes pronounced fà?

Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 理发 it is read fà.

What parts is 发 made of?

㇜ (left-falling stroke turning upward (pie-zhe)) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and 又 (again) and ㇔ (dot stroke). The recorded source is: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1 笔㇜、第 2 笔㇒、第 3–4 笔构成又、第 5 笔㇔). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 发 have?

5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 发?

又. 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 发?

Common ones are 发现 and 出发. The reading of 发 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.