How to Write 沸 (fèi) — Meaning “To boil”

Imagine water (氵) is so hot that it can "fly" (弗 sounds like "fly" in English) upward as steam. The visual of water droplets flying into the air from a boiling pot can help link the sound "fèi" to the character.

The left radical 氵 has three dots: the first two are close together, and the third is slightly lower and curved as a hook. The right part 弗 must be written with five strokes — pay special attention to the vertical line that goes through the middle, which should be straight and not too long.

沸 means "to boil" and uses water with 弗. 㳄 (xián) means "saliva" and has an extra dash above, while 汊 (chà) means "branch of a river" and is made with water plus 叉 (chā, fork). You can remember 沸 by its "bubbling water" meaning, while 汊 involves a river splitting like a fork.

沸 appears in common words like 沸水 (boiling water), 沸腾 (boiling or excitement), and 沸点 (boiling point). It is also used metaphorically, for example 人声鼎沸 means "a hubbub of voices," describing a noisy crowd like boiling water.

Common words containing 沸 include: 沸水 (fèi shuǐ) — Boiling water; 沸腾 (fèi téng) — Boiling; 沸点 (fèi diǎn) — Boiling point.