How to Write 房 (fáng) — Meaning “house; room”

Imagine a square house (方) with a door (户) in front. Think of the pinyin 'fáng' as sounding like 'fang' — picture a house with sharp 'fangs' on the roof to help recall the character.

First write the radical 户: dot, horizontal fold hook, vertical stroke, then a short horizontal at the bottom — do not extend the vertical below this line. Then add 方: dot, horizontal, horizontal fold hook, and a left-falling stroke (撇). A common mistake is making the left vertical of 户 too long.

房 (fáng) means house or room and is very common. 戽 (hù) is a rare character meaning a water scoop, with 斗 (dipper) instead of 方. 戾 (lì) means perverse or violent, and has 犬 (dog) under 户 — visually, 房 has a square inside, while the others have different lower parts.

房 appears in everyday words like 房子 (fáng zi, house) and 房间 (fáng jiān, room). It is also used in 房东 (fáng dōng, landlord), reflecting the common cultural practice of renting homes in China.

Common words containing 房 include: 房子 (fáng zi) — house; 房间 (fáng jiān) — room; 房东 (fáng dōng) — landlord; landlady.