Meaning of 浮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to float
- superficial
- floating
- unstable
- movable
- provisional
- temporary
- transient
How to use 浮
As a verb, 浮 means to float on water or in the air. It also describes things that are on the surface only, like shallow or restless attitudes, as in 浮躁 (fúzào) and 轻浮 (qīngfú). Example: 木头浮在水面上。(Mùtou fú zài shuǐmiàn shang.) The wood is floating on the water.
浮 has the water radical 氵 on the left and 孚 (fú) on the right, which also gives the sound. Picture something resting on the water's surface: water plus fú means to float, fú.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 浮 (fú) with 乳 (rǔ, milk), which shares the 孚 part, or with 俘 (fú, to capture), which has the person radical. Remember that 浮 has water 氵 because floating happens on water.
浮 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.
浮 fú · to float · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 浮.
| 浮现 | fúxiàn | (of a thought or image) to come to mind; (of a smile etc) to appear (on sb's face) |
| 浮力 | fúlì | buoyancy |
| 浮躁 | fúzào | fickle and impatient; restless |
| 漂浮 | piāofú | to float; to hover |
| 浮出 | fúchū | to emerge |
| 轻浮 | qīngfú | frivolous; careless |
| 浮游生物 | fúyóushēngwù | plankton |
| 悬浮 | xuánfú | to float (in the air etc); suspension |
| 浮标 | fúbiāo | buoy |
| 浮云 | fúyún | floating clouds; fleeting |
| 飘浮 | piāofú | to float; to hover |
| 浮动 | fúdòng | to drift about; to move unsteadily; (fig.) to fluctuate; to rise and fall; to be changeabl |
Questions about 浮
What does 浮 mean?
浮 (fú) means "to float; superficial" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 浮?
浮 is made of 1 character: 浮 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 浮 an HSK word?
Yes. 浮 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 浮 and 漂浮?
浮 is the single-character verb and often appears in set phrases like 浮在水面上. 漂浮 (piāofú) is a two-character word that suggests drifting or hovering, and it often sounds more descriptive or literary.
Can 浮 describe a person?
Yes, but usually inside words like 浮躁 (fúzào, restless and impatient) or 轻浮 (qīngfú, frivolous). These words describe someone who is not steady or serious, and they are usually negative.