How to Write 蕃 (fān) — Meaning “to multiply / flourishing”

Picture a field of grass (艹) that keeps multiplying and spreading like a repeating pattern (番). Think of 'fan' as a fan that blows seeds everywhere, making the grass flourish. This helps you link the character to its meaning of 'to multiply' or 'flourishing.'

The top radical 艹 is written with three strokes: horizontal line then two short vertical lines. The bottom part 番 has 12 strokes, starting with 釆 on the left (careful with the dot) and then 田 on the right. A common mistake is making the grass radical too wide or mixing up the order of strokes in 釆.

蕃 (fān) means 'to multiply' or 'flourishing' and is used in classical or literary contexts. 葄 (zuò) is a rare character meaning 'to sleep' or 'to lie down' and is not common. 蒗 (làng) appears mostly in place names like '蒗蕖' and means something related to water plants. Visually, their lower parts differ: 蕃 has 番, while 葄 has 乍 and 蒗 has 浪.

蕃 is not in HSK and is most often encountered in formal or classical writings, such as 蕃盛 (flourishing) or 蕃息 (to multiply). It appears in ancient texts describing abundant crops or animal breeding. In modern daily language, it is rarely used alone, but you may see it in certain botanical terms or historical literature.

Common words containing 蕃 include: 蕃盛 (fān shèng) — flourishing / luxuriant; 蕃息 (fān xī) — to multiply / to breed; 蕃茂 (fān mào) — lush / luxuriant.