How to Write 哺 (bǔ) — Meaning “To feed / To nurse”

Imagine a bird (the right part 甫 resembles a bird shape) opening its mouth (口) to feed its babies. This visual of a parent bird putting food into a baby bird's mouth directly matches the meaning "to feed" or "to nurse."

The left radical 口 should be small and placed high, while the right side 甫 has 7 strokes. Be careful not to make the left mouth too big or too low. Also, the right side has a horizontal line at the top (一) and a dot (丶) inside the vertical stroke; do not merge them.

呢 (ne) is a particle for questions or emphasis and has no feeding meaning. 呣 (ḿ) is an interjection expressing thought or doubt. Unlike these, 哺 specifically relates to feeding or nursing, and its right side is 甫, not 尼 or 母. Use 哺 only when talking about nourishing babies or young animals.

哺 appears in common words like 哺乳 (breastfeeding) and 哺育 (to nurture). You see it in parenting contexts, biology (mammals are 哺乳动物), and sometimes metaphorically for nurturing ideas or culture. It is a formal or literary character, not used in casual conversation for simple eating.

Common words containing 哺 include: 哺乳 (bǔ rǔ) — To breastfeed / To suckle; 哺育 (bǔ yù) — To nurture / To bring up; 哺养 (bǔ yǎng) — To feed and raise / To nurture.