負 meaning and stroke order
Load, burden; to carry, to bear
How to write 負, 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 負
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to bear
- to carry (on one's back)
- to turn one's back on
- to be defeated
- negative (math. etc)
How 負 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 人 carrying a lot of money 貝.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 負
The top part ⺈ is a person bending over, and below is 貝 (bèi), a shell that once meant money. Picture someone hunched under a heavy bag of money: that is a load you have to carry, 負 (fù).
負 appears mostly in compounds about bearing something, like responsibility in 负责 (fùzé) or a burden in 负担 (fùdān). It also means losing or negative, as in 胜负 (shèngfù) and 负面 (fùmiàn). Example: 这件事由我负责。(Zhè jiàn shì yóu wǒ fùzé.) I am responsible for this matter.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 負 with 員 (yuán, member), which has 口 on top instead of the bent ⺈ shape. Also, in 欺负 (qīfu) the 负 is said in the neutral tone, not a full fourth tone.
Common words with 負
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 負責 | fùzé | to be responsible for; to be in charge of; to bear responsibility for; conscientious | HSK 3 |
| 負擔 | fùdān | to bear (an expense, a responsibility etc); burden | HSK 4 |
| 負責人 | fùzérén | person in charge | HSK 5 |
| 勝負 | shèngfù | victory or defeat; the outcome of a battle | HSK 5 |
| 欺負 | qīfu | to bully | HSK 6 |
| 辜負 | gūfù | to fail to live up to (sb's expectations, trust or kindness); to let down | HSK 7-9 |
| 自負 | zìfù | conceited; to take responsibility | HSK 7-9 |
| 負面 | fùmiàn | negative; the negative side | HSK 7-9 |
| 抱負 | bàofù | aspiration; ambition | HSK 7-9 |
| 肩負 | jiānfù | to shoulder (a burden); to bear | HSK 7-9 |
| 擔負 | dānfù | to shoulder; to bear | HSK 7-9 |
| 負有 | fùyǒu | to be responsible for | HSK 7-9 |
| 後果自負 | hòuguǒzìfù | to take responsibility for the consequences of risky behavior; to have only oneself to bla | |
| 背負 | bēifù | to bear; to carry on one's back |
Characters that contain 負
Learning 負 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 負
How many strokes are in 負?
負 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 負 mean?
負 (fù) means load, burden; to carry, to bear. A common word with it is 负责 (fùzé), meaning "to be responsible for; to be in charge of; to bear responsibility for; conscientious".
How do you pronounce 負?
負 is pronounced fù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 負?
The radical of 負 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 負 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 負?
負 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 负, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say a negative number with 负?
Put 负 (fù) before the number, so -5 is 负五 (fù wǔ). For temperatures, 零下 (língxià) is also common, as in 零下五度.
What is the difference between 辜负 and 欺负?
辜负 (gūfù) means to let someone down, like failing their hopes or kindness. 欺负 (qīfu) means to bully or pick on someone. Both contain 负, but the meanings are quite different.