罚 (fá) is a Chinese character meaning “to punish”. It is written from 罒 (net (top form of 网)) and 讠 (speech radical) and 刂 (knife (side form)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to punish; to fine”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
罒 + 讠 + 刂
Top–bottom structure
- 罒 net (top form of 网) · wǎng meaning
- 讠 speech radical · yán meaning
- 刂 knife (side form) · dāo meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱罒⿰讠刂，已逐笔对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（罒 5 笔 + 讠 2 笔 + 刂 2 笔 = 9 笔）
Memory aid
A net (罒) drops over your words (讠) while a knife (刂) waits at the side: caught talking your way out, and the penalty lands anyway — 罚.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 罚款fá kuǎnto fine; a fine罚 = fá
- 处罚chǔ fáto punish; to penalize罚 = fá
Go deeper
All readings
to punish
to punish; to penalize; to fine; a penalty
因犯错或违反规定而给予惩戒，也指罚金一类的处分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 罚款fá kuǎnto fine; a fine罚 = fá
- 处罚chǔ fáto punish; to penalize罚 = fá
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 罚 mean?
罚 (fá) means to punish; to penalize; to fine; a penalty.
How do you pronounce 罚?
It is pronounced fá.
What parts is 罚 made of?
罒 (net (top form of 网)) and 讠 (speech radical) and 刂 (knife (side form)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱罒⿰讠刂，已逐笔对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（罒 5 笔 + 讠 2 笔 + 刂 2 笔 = 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 罚 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 罚?
罒. 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 罚?
Common ones are 罚款 and 处罚. The reading of 罚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.