犯 (fàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to violate”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 㔾 (kneeling figure (variant of 卩)), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “to violate; offender”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
犭 + 㔾
Left–right structure
- 犭 dog / beast radical (side form of 犬) · quǎn meaning
- 㔾 kneeling figure (variant of 卩) · jié unknown
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（犭 3 画 + 㔾 2 画 = 5 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺逐笔核验一致）
Memory aid
The beast radical 犭 on the left, a kneeling figure 㔾 on the right: something wild lunging at a person forced down on their knees. Both parts really are in this character, and together they picture what it means to offend against someone — to violate, to commit a crime.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 囚犯qiú fànprisoner; convict犯 = fàn
- 侵犯qīn fànto infringe on; to violate (rights, territory)犯 = fàn
Go deeper
All readings
to violate; offender
to violate; to offend against; to commit (a crime or mistake); an offender, a criminal
违背、触犯（法律、规则）；做出错误的事。也指犯罪的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 囚犯qiú fànprisoner; convict犯 = fàn
- 侵犯qīn fànto infringe on; to violate (rights, territory)犯 = fàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 犯 mean?
犯 (fàn) means to violate; to offend against; to commit (a crime or mistake); an offender, a criminal.
How do you pronounce 犯?
It is pronounced fàn.
What parts is 犯 made of?
犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 㔾 (kneeling figure (variant of 卩)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（犭 3 画 + 㔾 2 画 = 5 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺逐笔核验一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 犯 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 犯?
犬. 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 犯?
Common ones are 囚犯. The reading of 犯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.