放 (fàng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

放

fàng[fang4]Tone 4

to put, to release, to set free

HSK 1

Guru Deep Dive

English · to put, to release, to set free

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (方) slightly narrower and taller, leaving ample room for the right component (攵, the folding bench/action radical) to breathe and maintain equilibrium.

1. Meaning

to put, to place, to release

to let goto let outto set off (fireworks)to discharge

VerbNeutral#action#movement#control

Sample Usage

请把书放在桌子上。
Qǐng bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.
Please put the book on the table.
放假了，我们可以去旅游了。
Fàngjià le, wǒmen kěyǐ qù lǚyóu le.
School is out for vacation, we can go traveling.

2. Sound

/[faŋ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

放

fàngfang4

`(51)

=fàng

Initial Consonant

Type: Labiodental Fricative

Sounds like: f sound as in English 'fox'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch the inner lower lip; air is continuously forced through.

Final Rhyme

ang

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ang rhymes with sung/rung with an 'ah' mouth shape

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly to the bottom, like a definitive 'No!' or command.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 1 (fāng) or Tone 3 (fǎng). Make sure the pitch drops steeply from high to low like an exclamation of command.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, authoritative karate chop downward in the air, matching the abrupt drop of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

4. Components

Radical 攴 · action/knock radical (tap, hit, or action with a hand)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 攴 (indicates an action or pushing motion with the hand or tool)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 方 (original sound: fang)

A square basket or object (方) being guided, tapped, or pushed away with a hand or stick (攴), meaning to let go or release.

方 square, direction, phonetic and semantic base
攵 hand holding a tool, action

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

20· Phonetic Root: 方 (fāng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined '方' (direction/boat/box) with '攴' (to tap or drive), signifying driving animals out or setting something free from confinement.

Semantic Evolution: From driving away or releasing captive animals to the broader modern meanings of placing objects, letting go of control, and taking vacations (fàngjià).

The right-hand radical '攵' is the cursive variant of '攴' (to rap or strike lightly).

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

phóng

The rising/sharp quality in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds well to the high-energy nature of the character.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ホウ (hō) / Kun: は.・す (ha.su), はな.・つ (hanatsu)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

방

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take a square box (方) and use a stick or hand (攵) to push it away, letting it go completely.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

芳

fāngfragrantHas the grass radical (艹) on top, referring to sweet-smelling plants.

防

fángto protect, defendHas the mound radical (阝) on the left, referring to defensive embankments.

房

fángroom, houseHas the door/roof radical (户) on top, denoting a building or room.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

芳(fāng)

芳 has the grass head (艹) for sweet grass/fragrance, whereas 放 has the action radical (攵) for letting go.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

请把书[___]在桌子上。

Clue: fàng

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting that '放' uses Tone 4 (sharp falling), and mistakenly pronouncing it with Tone 1 or Tone 3.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 放 mean and how is it pronounced in Tone 4?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to put' or 'to release' with 8 strokes?

放fàngto put, to release, to set free

Speed:

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