浮 (fú) is a Chinese character meaning “to float”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to float”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 孚
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 浮，氾也。从水孚声 + hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 孚 (fú) on the right — 孚 gives the sound, and the water is what things float on.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 浮动fú dòngto float about; to fluctuate浮 = fú
- 浮力fú lìbuoyancy浮 = fú
- 浮萍fú píngduckweed浮 = fú
Go deeper
All readings
to float
to float; on the surface; superficial; excessive
停留在液体表面或空中不下沉；也指表面的、不踏实的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 浮动fú dòngto float about; to fluctuate浮 = fú
- 浮力fú lìbuoyancy浮 = fú
- 浮萍fú píngduckweed浮 = fú
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 浮 mean?
浮 (fú) means to float; on the surface; superficial; excessive.
How do you pronounce 浮?
It is pronounced fú.
What parts is 浮 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 孚 (to brood over eggs; to inspire trust), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 浮，氾也。从水孚声 + hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 浮 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 浮?
水. 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 浮?
Common ones are 浮动 and 浮力. The reading of 浮 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.