How to Write 敷 (fū) — Meaning “to apply (ointment); to spread”

Think of the left part as "夫" (husband) with a square box on top, and the right part as a hand (攵) applying a mask. So imagine a husband (夫) carefully spreading a facial mask on his face — that action is 敷 (fū).

Pay attention to the left side 旉: it has a top horizontal, then a vertical, then a frame, and inside there is a short horizontal and a vertical hook. A common mistake is to write the right side 攵 as 攴 (with a dot) — remember 攵 has no dot and ends with a right-falling stroke (捺).

敷 has a left side that looks like 甫 with an extra component, while 敫 has a left side with a 白 (white) element and 放. 数 has a left side that combines 米 (rice) and 女 (woman). Also, their meanings differ: 敷 is for applying, 数 is for counting, and 敫 is rare, meaning bright.

敷 is used for applying something topically, like medicine (敷药) or a cold compress (冷敷). In daily life, it is very common in skincare — 敷面膜 (apply a facial mask) is a popular self-care activity in China, often discussed in beauty routines.

Common words containing 敷 include: 敷面膜 (fū miàn mó) — to apply a facial mask; 冷敷 (lěng fū) — cold compress; 敷药 (fū yào) — to apply medicine (topically).