Meaning of 法
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- law
- method
- way
- to emulate
- (Buddhism) dharma
- (abbr. for 法家[Fa3 jia1]) the Legalists
- (physics) farad (abbr. for 法拉[fa3 la1])
- France
- French
- abbr. for 法國|法国[Fa3 guo2]
- Taiwan pr. [Fa4]
- variant of 法[fa3]
- old variant of 法[fa3]
- law
How to use 法
法 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It usually appears in compounds meaning "method" or "law," such as 办法 (bànfǎ), 方法 (fāngfǎ), and 法律 (fǎlǜ). It is also short for France, as in 法国 (Fǎguó) and 法语 (Fǎyǔ). Example: 我没有办法。(Wǒ méiyǒu bànfǎ.) I have no way to do it.
法 has the water radical 氵 on the left and 去 (qù, to go) on the right. Picture law as water that goes along a fixed channel: there is a set way things must flow.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 法 (fǎ) with 去 (qù) alone or with 发 (fā, to send), which sounds similar but has a different tone and shape. Remember the water radical 氵 on 法 and keep the third tone.
法 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.
法 fǎ · law · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 法.
| 办法 | bànfǎ | way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem |
| 想法 | xiǎngfǎ | way of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth) |
| 方法 | fāngfǎ | method; way; technique; procedure |
| 看法 | kànfǎ | way of looking at a thing; view |
| 做法 | zuòfǎ | way of handling sth; method for making |
| 合法 | héfǎ | lawful; legitimate |
| 无法 | wúfǎ | unable to; incapable of |
| 法律 | fǎlǜ | law |
| 法官 | fǎguān | judge (in court) |
| 法院 | fǎyuàn | court of law; court |
| 语法 | yǔfǎ | grammar; (computing) syntax |
| 没法儿 | méifǎr | (coll.) can't do anything about it; (coll.) there's no way that ...; it's simply not credi |
Questions about 法
What does 法 mean?
法 (fǎ) means "law; method" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 法?
法 is made of 1 character: 法 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 法 an HSK word?
Yes. 法 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 办法 and 方法?
办法 (bànfǎ) is a practical solution to a specific problem, often in phrases like 没办法. 方法 (fāngfǎ) is a method or technique, like a way of studying or working.
How do you say French or France with 法?
France is 法国 (Fǎguó), the French language is 法语 (Fǎyǔ), and a French person is 法国人 (Fǎguórén). In Taiwan some speakers say it with fourth tone, Fà.