祓 meaning and stroke order
To exorcise; to cleanse
How to write 祓, 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.
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Meaning of 祓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cleanse
- to remove evil
- ritual for seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster
How 祓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Spirit.
礻 gives the meaning and 犮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 祓
The spirit radical 礻 on the left tells you this is about gods and rituals, and 犮 (bá) on the right gives the sound. Picture a ritual at the altar 礻 that drives bad luck away.
祓 (fú) is a literary and ritual word, not everyday speech. It appears mostly in classical texts and in set phrases about purification ceremonies, such as 祓除 (fúchú, to purify and remove evil). Example: 古人在水边举行祓禊。(Gǔrén zài shuǐ biān jǔxíng fúxì.) The ancients held purification rites by the water.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 祓 with 拔 (bá, to pull out), since both use 犮. Remember that 祓 has the spirit radical 礻 and is read fú, while 拔 has the hand radical 扌 and is read bá.
Questions about 祓
How many strokes are in 祓?
祓 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 祓 mean?
祓 (fú) means to exorcise; to cleanse.
How do you pronounce 祓?
祓 is pronounced fú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 祓?
The radical of 祓 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 祓 under this radical.
What is 祓禊 (fúxì)?
祓禊 was an ancient Chinese spring ritual where people washed by a river to cleanse themselves of bad luck. It is linked to the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the third lunar month.
Why is 祓 pronounced fú when 犮 is read bá?
Sound components often drifted over centuries of sound change, so the modern reading does not always match. Characters built on 犮 have readings like bá and fú, so treat 犮 as a rough hint rather than an exact guide.