腐 (fǔ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

腐

fǔ[fu3]Tone 3

rotten / decay

HSK 4

Guru Deep Dive

English · rotten / decay

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:14

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (fāng radical) is narrower and lighter, while the right side (fǔ phonetic) is wider, denser, and carries the main weight of the character.

1. Meaning

decay, rotten, spoiled

corruptbean curd (tofu)

Adjective / NounNeutral#quality#food#morality#chemistry

Sample Usage

豆腐
dòufu
tofu (bean curd)
腐败
fǔbài
corruption / rotten and spoiled

2. Sound

/[fu³⁵]/Tone: 35

腐

fǔfu3

ˇ(214)

=fǔ

Initial Consonant

Type: Labiodental Fricative

Sounds like: f sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch the lower lip gently while blowing continuous air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: -oo as in boot

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

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

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts from a medium pitch and rises up to the upper register, exactly like the inflection used when asking 'Really?' in English.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, it shifts to a 2nd tone (rising 35).

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the rising Tone 2 (fǔ) with the falling Tone 4 (fù) or low dipping Tone 3 (if mispronounced flat).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid pitch and sweep your hand sharply upward into the air, mirroring an inquiring 'Huh?' gesture.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 14 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (fāng radical) is narrower and lighter, while the right side (fǔ phonetic) is wider, denser, and carries the main weight of the character.

4. Components

Radical 广 · cliff radical (shelter, building, or cliff)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 广 (Indicates a structure or covered enclosure where items might sit and spoil.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 𦣞 (original sound: fǔ)

Inside a covered building or shed (广), meat or goods (represented by the right component) sit too long and turn rotten (腐).

广 shelter/cliff radical
𦣞 phonetic and semantic clue for decay

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

12· Phonetic Root: 付 (fù)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the shelter radical (广) to show an indoor storage space with stored goods that eventually spoil or decay over time.

Semantic Evolution: From physical rotting of organic matter (like food) to abstract decay such as political corruption and moral degeneration.

In ancient times, food preservation was difficult, making food spoilage a common societal concern reflected directly in written language.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: フ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

부

Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'f' sound in Mandarin frequently corresponds to historical labial stops or fricatives in related language families.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Inside a stone shelter (广), barrels of food are left unattended for months until they turn completely rotten (腐) and smell terrible.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

府

fǔmansion, government officeUses the shelter radical (广) with a government-related phonetic, denoting a large official building rather than decay.

腑

fǔinternal organsUses the flesh/moon radical (月) on the left because internal organs are part of the body.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

府(fǔ)

府 means mansion and has a different internal structure on the right side compared to 腐.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们不能让这种官僚主义继续[___]下去。

Clue: fǔ bài

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the 2nd tone rising pitch with the 3rd tone dipping pitch, or mixing up 腐 with similar-looking characters sharing the 广 radical like 府.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 腐, what two primary concepts come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character for 'decay/rotten' (fǔ) starting with the cliff/shelter radical?

腐fǔrotten / decay

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