複 meaning and stroke order
Again, repeatedly; copy, duplicate; to restore, to return
How to write 複, stroke by stroke
14 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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- 14
Meaning of 複
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to repeat
- to double
- to overlap
- complex (not simple)
- compound
- composite
How 複 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A cloth 衤 pattern 复; 复 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 衤 (cloth), shared by 72 characters on this site.
How to remember 複
複 combines the clothing radical 衤 with 复 (fù), which gives the sound. Picture cloth folded over in layers, a doubled, lined garment, and you get the ideas of double, overlapping and complex.
複 is the traditional character used for meanings like double, layered and compound. In simplified Chinese it merged into 复, so words like 复杂 and 复印 appear with 复 on the mainland but with 複 in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Example: 這個問題很複雜。(Zhège wèntí hěn fùzá.) This problem is very complicated.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse the radical 衤 (clothing, with two dots on the right side) with 礻 (spirit, one dot), writing 複 with the wrong left side. In traditional texts, also do not mix 複 (double, complex) with 復 (to return, to restore), as in 恢復 (huīfù, to recover).
Common words with 複
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 重複 | chóngfù | to repeat; to duplicate | HSK 2 |
| 複習 | fùxí | to review; revision | HSK 2 |
| 複雜 | fùzá | complicated; complex | HSK 3 |
| 複印 | fùyìn | to photocopy; to duplicate a document | HSK 3 |
| 複製 | fùzhì | to duplicate; to make a copy of | HSK 4 |
| 錯綜複雜 | cuòzōng-fùzá | tangled and complicated (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 複印件 | fùyìnjiàn | photocopy; duplicate | |
| 複製品 | fùzhìpǐn | replica; reproduction | |
| 複述 | fùshù | to repeat (one's own words or sb else's); (in the classroom) to paraphrase what one has le | |
| 複雜化 | fùzáhuà | to complicate; to become complicated | |
| 複印機 | fùyìnjī | photocopier |
Questions about 複
How many strokes are in 複?
複 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 複 mean?
複 (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 複?
複 is pronounced fù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 複?
The radical of 複 is 衤, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 複 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 複?
複 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 复, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 複 and 復 in traditional Chinese?
複 with 衤 is about layers, doubling and complexity, as in 複雜 (fùzá) and 複印 (fùyìn). 復 with 彳 is about going back or restoring, as in 恢復 (huīfù) and 復習 (fùxí). Simplified Chinese writes both as 复.
How do I say photocopy and copy a file using this character?
A photocopy is 複印件 (fùyìnjiàn), and to photocopy is 複印 (fùyìn). To copy something like a file or text is 複製 (fùzhì), and a replica is 複製品 (fùzhìpǐn).