Meaning of 发
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to send out
- to show (one's feeling)
- to issue
- to develop
- to make a bundle of money
- classifier for gunshots (rounds)
- hair
- Taiwan pr. [fa3]
How to use 发
发 (fā) is a very common verb for sending things out, like messages, emails, or sounds, and it appears in many key words such as 发现 (fāxiàn, to discover) and 发生 (fāshēng, to happen). Example: 我给你发了一个短信。(Wǒ gěi nǐ fā le yí ge duǎnxìn.) I sent you a text message.
Picture 发 (fā) as a figure kicking off with a burst of energy, its strokes flying outward as it sends something out into the world. The same character also means hair, so imagine strands shooting out from the head.
Common mistake: Learners often forget that 发 has two readings. It is fā when it means to send or issue, but fà when it means hair, as in 理发 (lǐfà, to get a haircut). Note that in 头发 (tóufa) the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone.
发 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
发 fā · to send out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 发.
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to arise (e.g. 發生問題|发生问题[fa1 sheng1 wen4 ti2] "a probl |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth |
| 发出 | fāchū | to issue (an order, decree etc); to send out; to dispatch; to produce (a sound); to let ou |
| 发明 | fāmíng | to invent; an invention |
| 沙发 | shāfā | (loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post |
| 发表 | fābiǎo | to issue; to publish |
| 发动 | fādòng | to start; to launch |
| 发送 | fāsòng | to transmit; to dispatch |
| 开发 | kāifā | to exploit (a resource); to open up (for development); to develop |
Questions about 发
What does 发 mean?
发 (fā) means "to send out; to show (one's feeling)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 发?
发 is made of 1 character: 发 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 发 an HSK word?
Yes. 发 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 发 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 发 is written 發.
Why is 发 considered a lucky character?
One dictionary sense of 发 is to make a bundle of money, as in 发财 (fācái, to get rich). Because of this, 发 and the number 8 (bā), which sounds similar, are linked with wealth and good luck.
How is 发 used as a classifier?
发 can count gunshots or rounds of ammunition, for example 一发子弹 (yì fā zǐdàn, one bullet). This use is more formal and less common in daily conversation than the verb meanings.