How to Write 封 (fēng) — Meaning “To seal; to close; (measure word for letters)”

Imagine you have two layers of an envelope (like the two 土 in 圭) and you use your hand (寸) to press them shut. This visual of pressing two layers with your hand helps you recall that 封 means "to seal."

The left side 圭 has six strokes: three horizontal lines and two vertical lines, all straight and evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or the vertical lines crooked. Remember to write the left part first, then add the right side 寸 with a dot at the end.

封 has the left side 圭 (two stacked 'earth' radicals), while 㝵 is very rare and looks like a person radical 亻 with 寸 on the right. 寽 has a claw radical 爫 on top of 寸, so it resembles a hand grabbing. In meaning, only 封 is used for sealing letters or closing off areas.

封 is commonly used in words like 信封 (envelope) and 封闭 (to seal off). It is also a measure word for letters, as in 一封信 (one letter). Culturally, sealing with a stamp or wax was an important tradition in Chinese history, and 封 appears in famous stories like 封神榜.

Common words containing 封 include: 信封 (xìn fēng) — envelope; 一封信 (yī fēng xìn) — a letter; 封闭 (fēng bì) — To seal off; to close; closed.