How to Write 俘 (fú) — Meaning “to capture; prisoner of war”

Q: What is a good memory trick to remember 俘?

Imagine a person (亻) being caught by a hand (爫) reaching down to grab a child (子). This image of capture helps you remember that 俘 means "to capture" or "prisoner of war."

Q: What are the key writing tips for 俘?

The left radical 亻 should be written first: left-falling stroke then vertical line. The right part 孚 starts with 爫 (three strokes: left-falling, dot, dot) then 子. A common mistake is making the 爫 too large — keep it compact above 子.

Q: How can I tell 俘 apart from similar characters like 伯 and 估?

俘 has 孚 on the right (爫 + 子), while 伯 has 白 (white) and means "uncle" or "elder." 估 has 古 (old) and means "to estimate." Visually focus on the bottom part: 子 appears only in 俘.

Q: When and how is 俘 used in modern Chinese?

俘 appears in words like 俘虏 (fúlǔ, captive) and 战俘 (zhànfú, prisoner of war). It is mainly used in military or historical contexts. For example, 被俘 (bèi fú) means "to be captured" in news reports about conflicts.

Q: What common words use 俘?

Common words containing 俘 include: 俘虏 (fú lǔ) — prisoner of war; captive; 战俘 (zhàn fú) — Prisoner of war (POW); 被俘 (bèi fú) — To be captured.

fú HSK Level 7 9 strokes Radical: 亻

俘 (fú) means "to capture; prisoner of war" in Chinese. It has 9 strokes with the radical 亻, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 22% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 俘虏 (fú lǔ), 战俘 (zhàn fú), 被俘 (bèi fú).

Due to its 9 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 俘 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Practice Writing 俘 (fú)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 俘 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 俘

The character 俘 (fú) is written with 9 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 亻 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does fú (俘) Mean in Chinese?

俘 means to capture; prisoner of war.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 俘 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character	俘
Pinyin	fú (fu)
Meaning	to capture; prisoner of war
Strokes	9
Radical	亻
HSK Level	7
Difficulty	3.7/5

Origin of 俘

This character is a compound: the radical 亻 (person) on the left, and 孚 (fú) on the right, which originally depicted a hand (爫) grasping a child (子) — an image of seizing someone. Together 俘 conveys the meaning of capturing a person or a prisoner of war.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a soldier (亻) using his hand (爫) to grab a child (子), taking him as a captive — that's 俘, 'to capture' or 'prisoner of war'.

Common Words with 俘

俘虏 fú lǔ

prisoner of war; captive

战俘 zhàn fú

Prisoner of war (POW)

被俘 bèi fú

To be captured

Example Sentences

士兵抓住了几个俘虏。

shì bīng zhuā zhù le jǐ gè fú lǔ

The soldier captured several prisoners.

战俘们回到了家乡。

zhàn fú men huí dào le jiā xiāng

The prisoners of war returned to their hometowns.

他在战斗中不幸被俘。

tā zài zhàn dòu zhōng bù xìng bèi fú

He was unfortunately captured in battle.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
俘 (current)	fú	9	亻
伯	bó	7	亻
估	gū / gù	7	亻
伲	nì	7	亻

Practice Writing 俘 (fú)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 俘 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 俘

What are the components of 俘 and how do they relate to its meaning?

The left side is 亻, meaning "person." The right side is 孚, which contains 爫 (a hand) and 子 (child), suggesting a hand grabbing a person — representing capture or a prisoner of war.

What is a good memory trick to remember 俘?

What are the key writing tips for 俘?

How can I tell 俘 apart from similar characters like 伯 and 估?

When and how is 俘 used in modern Chinese?

What common words use 俘?

How to Write 俘 (fú) — Meaning “to capture; prisoner of war”

Practice Writing 俘 (fú)

How to Write 俘

What Does fú (俘) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 俘

Common Words with 俘

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 俘 (fú)

Frequently Asked Questions about 俘

More HSK Level 7 Characters

Characters with Radical 亻

Other 9-Stroke Characters