How to Write 跗 (fū) — Meaning “tarsus; instep”

Imagine your foot (足) has a small 'foot' (付 sounds like 'foot') attached to the top—that is the instep. Another trick: think of ‘付’ as ‘pay’ and picture paying close attention to the top of your foot for an injury.

Write the left radical 足 first, making sure the bottom part has a clear vertical stroke and a sharp turn. The right part 付 has a short left-slanting stroke (亻) and a careful 寸; keep the overall width balanced—do not make 付 too large or the character will look lopsided.

跗 (fū) means 'instep' or 'tarsus' and is an anatomical term. 趵 (bào) means 'to stamp' or 'kick' and is used in words like 趵突泉 (Baotu Spring). 趸 (dǔn) means 'wholesale' or 'to squat' and has a different right component (屯 vs 付). Visually, 跗 has 付 on the right, while 趵 has 勺 and 趸 has 屯.

跗 is mostly used in medical or anatomical contexts, such as 跗骨 (tarsal bones) or 跗面 (dorsal surface of the foot). It appears in traditional Chinese medicine texts discussing foot acupoints and in descriptions of animal feet. The character is not common in everyday conversation but is important for learners of biology or Chinese medicine.

Common words containing 跗 include: 跗骨 (fū gǔ) — tarsal bone; 跗面 (fū miàn) — dorsal surface of the foot; 跗部 (fū bù) — tarsal region.