How to Write 孚 (fú) — Meaning “to inspire confidence; to trust”

Imagine a parent's hand (爪) gently placed over a child (子) — this protective act naturally creates trust. The image of "hand over child" helps you recall that 孚 means to inspire confidence.

Write the top 爪 with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal stroke, then a right-falling stroke, keeping it narrow. The bottom 子 should have a long horizontal stroke and a vertical hook centered below. A common mistake is making the top too wide or misaligning the vertical hook of 子.

孚 has a claw (爪) on top, while 孕 has 乃 (a sideways person) meaning pregnancy, and 字 has a roof (宀) meaning writing. Visually, 孚's top looks like a hand, 孕's top looks like a person with a belly, and 字's top is a house roof. Their meanings are also different: 孚 is about trust, 孕 about pregnancy, and 字 about characters.

孚 is a formal and literary character, not common in daily speech. It appears in idioms like 深孚众望 (to enjoy great prestige) and religious contexts such as 孚佑 (divine protection). You might see it in written blessings or ceremonial texts to express deep trustworthiness or blessings.

Common words containing 孚 include: 深孚众望 (shēn fú zhòng wàng) — to enjoy great prestige; to live up to everyone's expectations; 孚信 (fú xìn) — trustworthiness; credibility; 孚佑 (fú yòu) — to protect and bless (by a deity).