How to Write 妨 (fáng) — Meaning “to hinder; to harm”

Imagine a woman (女) standing in a square (方) and blocking the entrance, preventing anyone from entering. This visual of a woman deliberately obstructing a square helps you recall that 妨 means "to hinder" or "to harm." Another trick: think of "fang" as a sharp tooth that causes harm, connecting the sound to its meaning.

Write the radical 女 first with three strokes: left slant, right slant, then the horizontal stroke crossing both. Then add 方 on the right: dot at top, horizontal, left-falling stroke, and a hook. Keep the left side slightly narrower than the right, and make sure the horizontal stroke of 女 does not extend too far to the right, or it will make the character unbalanced.

妨 (fáng) has the right component 方 (square), while 奴 (nú, slave) has the right component 又 (hand) and 奶 (nǎi, milk) has the right component 乃 (nai). In meaning, 妨 means to hinder, 奴 refers to a slave or servant, and 奶 means milk or breast. Visually, the right side of 妨 looks like a box with a dot, not a hand or a slanted line.

妨 appears in common words like 妨碍 (to obstruct) in formal or written Chinese, and in expressions like 无妨 (no harm) and 不妨 (might as well), which are used in polite suggestions. For example, "你无妨试试" means "You might as well try." It is not a high-frequency character but is important for understanding nuanced phrases about permission and hindrance.

Common words containing 妨 include: 妨碍 (fáng ài) — to obstruct; to hinder; 无妨 (wú fáng) — No harm; it's fine to do so.; 不妨 (bù fáng) — might as well; no harm in.