伐 meaning and stroke order
Cut down, subjugate, attack
How to write 伐, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 伐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cut down
- to fell
- to dispatch an expedition against
- to attack
- to boast
- Taiwan pr. [fa1]
How 伐 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 attacked 戈.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 伐
A person 亻 stands next to a dagger-axe 戈, the old weapon used to strike. Picture someone swinging that axe to chop down a tree or attack an enemy.
伐 (fá) rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in set words like 伐木 (fámù, to fell trees), 砍伐 (kǎnfá, to cut down), and 讨伐 (tǎofá, to send a punitive expedition). Example: 这片森林被大量砍伐。(Zhè piàn sēnlín bèi dàliàng kǎnfá.) This forest has been heavily logged.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 伐 with 代 (dài, to replace), which also has 亻 on the left but uses 弋 without the extra slanted stroke of 戈. Remember that 伐 has the full weapon 戈, so it carries the idea of cutting and fighting.
Common words with 伐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
伐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 伐
Learning 伐 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 伐
How many strokes are in 伐?
伐 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 伐 mean?
伐 (fá) means cut down, subjugate, attack. A common word with it is 步伐 (bùfá), meaning "pace; (measured) step".
How do you pronounce 伐?
伐 is pronounced fá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 伐?
The radical of 伐 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 伐 under this radical.
Is 伐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 伐 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 步伐 mean pace if 伐 means to cut down?
In 步伐 (bùfá), 伐 keeps an older sense tied to the rhythm of marching troops. The word now simply means a step or pace, as in 加快步伐 (jiākuài bùfá), to speed up the pace.
Is the pronunciation of 伐 different in Taiwan?
Yes. Mainland standard Mandarin uses the second tone, fá. In Taiwan it is commonly pronounced with the first tone, fā.