复 meaning and stroke order
Again, repeatedly; copy, duplicate; to restore, to return
How to write 复, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 复
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to go and return
- to return
- to resume
- to return to a normal or original state
- to repeat
- again
How 复 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 who goes somewhere 夂 every day 日.
Radical: 夊 (to go slowly), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 复
Picture a person 亻 who walks 夂 the same route every day 日. Going out and coming back again and again gives 复 (fù) its sense of returning and repeating.
复 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words about repeating, copying, or going back to an earlier state, such as 复习 (fùxí), 重复 (chóngfù), and 恢复 (huīfù). Example: 我今天晚上要复习生词。(Wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang yào fùxí shēngcí.) I need to review new words tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 复 (fù) with 夏 (xià, summer), since both have 夂 at the bottom and a box-like part in the middle. 复 has a person-like top stroke group over 日, while 夏 has 一 and 自 over 夂.
Common words with 复
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 重复 | chóngfù | to repeat; to duplicate | HSK 2 |
| 复习 | fùxí | to review; revision | HSK 2 |
| 复杂 | fùzá | complicated; complex | HSK 3 |
| 反复 | fǎnfù | repeatedly; over and over | HSK 3 |
| 复印 | fùyìn | to photocopy; to duplicate a document | HSK 3 |
| 回复 | huífù | to recover; to revert; to return to (good health, normal condition etc); variant of 回覆[hui | HSK 4 |
| 复制 | fùzhì | to duplicate; to make a copy of | HSK 4 |
| 恢复 | huīfù | to reinstate; to resume | HSK 5 |
| 修复 | xiūfù | to restore; to renovate; (computing) to repair (a corrupted file etc) | HSK 5 |
| 答复 | dáfù | to answer; to reply | HSK 5 |
| 康复 | kāngfù | to recuperate; to recover (health) | HSK 6 |
| 复苏 | fùsū | to recover (health, economic); to resuscitate | HSK 6 |
| 报复 | bàofù | to make reprisals; to retaliate; revenge; retaliation | HSK 7-9 |
| 复活 | fùhuó | to revive; (lit. and fig.) to come back to life | HSK 7-9 |
复 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 复
Learning 复 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 复
How many strokes are in 复?
复 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 复 mean?
复 (fù) means again, repeatedly; copy, duplicate; to restore, to return. A common word with it is 重复 (chóngfù), meaning "to repeat; to duplicate".
How do you pronounce 复?
复 is pronounced fù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 复?
The radical of 复 is 夊, which carries the idea of "to go slowly". Dictionaries list 复 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 复?
The traditional form of 复 is 復, 複 and 覆. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 复 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 复 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 复 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 复杂 and 麻烦?
复杂 (fùzá) means complicated in structure, with many parts or layers. 麻烦 (máfan) means troublesome or inconvenient to deal with. A math problem can be 复杂, while filling out lots of forms is 麻烦.
Is 回复 used for replying to messages?
Yes. In everyday modern use, 回复 (huífù) very often means to reply, as in replying to an email or a chat message. For example, 请尽快回复 (qǐng jǐnkuài huífù) means please reply as soon as possible.