How to Write 趺 (fū) — Meaning “instep; to sit cross-legged”

Imagine a man (夫) sitting cross-legged with his feet showing the top of his instep (足). This connects the 'foot' radical to the 'man' to recall the meaning of sitting cross-legged. The man's legs form the shape of the character's right side.

Write the left side 足 first (7 strokes), then the right side 夫 (4 strokes) for a total of 11 strokes. A common mistake is making the left side too wide; the 足 should be narrow so the 夫 fits well. Also, the top horizontal stroke on 夫 should be shorter than the bottom one.

趺 has the right side 夫 (four strokes) and means 'instep' or 'sit cross-legged'. 趴 uses the right side 八 (two strokes) and means 'to lie on one's stomach'. 趵 uses the right side 勺 (three strokes) and means 'to kick' or 'leap'. Focus on the different right-hand components to tell them apart.

趺 is rare in daily conversation but appears in Buddhist or meditation contexts, such as 趺坐 (to sit cross-legged) and 跏趺 (full lotus position). It is also used in medical terms for the instep (趺足). Culturally, these sitting postures are important in Chinese Buddhism and yoga practice.

Common words containing 趺 include: 趺坐 (fū zuò) — to sit cross-legged (meditation); 跏趺 (jiā fū) — sitting cross-legged (lotus position); 趺足 (fū zú) — instep of the foot.