How to Write 茯 (fú) — Meaning “poria”

Think of a "fu" sound and picture a piece of Fu tea (茯茶) with a green grass top (艹) floating in hot water. The grass reminds you it is a plant, and "fu" matches the pronunciation. Alternatively, imagine a small dog (犬 from 伏) lying under the grass, which sounds like "伏" (to lie down).

First write the grass radical 艹: a horizontal stroke, then two vertical strokes (left then right). Then write 伏: start with the left radical 亻 (a vertical stroke plus a left-falling stroke), then the right side 犬 (horizontal, left-falling, right-falling, and a dot). A common mistake is writing the grass radical too wide or forgetting the dot in 犬.

茯 has 伏 (person + dog) below the grass, while 兹 has 丝 (silk) below the grass and means "this" or "now." 芈 has a different bottom (like a cross shape) and is used in names or as a bleating sound. The key is to notice the bottom part: 伏 for 茯, 丝 for 兹, and a unique cross for 芈.

茯 appears in words like 茯苓 (poria cocos, a medicinal fungus), 茯茶 (a type of fermented tea from Hunan), and 茯苓饼 (a traditional snack). It is not common in everyday speech but is important in Chinese medicine and food culture. Poria is believed to have health benefits like aiding digestion and reducing swelling.

Common words containing 茯 include: 茯苓 (fú líng) — poria cocos; 茯茶 (fú chá) — Fu tea; 茯苓饼 (fú líng bǐng) — poria cake.