氾 meaning and stroke order
To flood, to inundate, to overflow
How to write 氾, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 氾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in given names and as a surname
How 氾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 㔾 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 氾
The water radical 氵 on the left tells you this is about water, and 㔾 on the right gives the sound. Picture water spilling over and spreading out on its side, and you have 氾 (fàn), to flood.
氾 is mostly seen as a variant of 泛 (fàn) in the sense of flooding, especially in Taiwan, where 氾濫 is a common written form. In mainland simplified Chinese, 泛滥 is the standard spelling. Example: 河水氾濫。(Héshuǐ fànlàn.) The river overflowed.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 氾 with 犯 (fàn, to violate), which has the same sound and right side but uses the animal radical 犭 instead of water 氵. Remember that only the water version means flooding.
Characters that contain 氾
Learning 氾 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 氾
How many strokes are in 氾?
氾 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 氾 mean?
氾 (fàn) means to flood, to inundate, to overflow.
How do you pronounce 氾?
氾 is pronounced fàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 氾?
The radical of 氾 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 氾 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 氾?
氾 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 泛, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 氾濫 the same as 泛滥?
Yes, they mean the same thing: to flood, or figuratively to spread unchecked. 氾濫 is the form usually used in Taiwan, while 泛滥 is standard in mainland China.
When is 氾 read fán instead of fàn?
The reading fán is used when 氾 is a surname or part of a given name. In the flooding sense, it is read fàn.