How to Write 辐 (fú) — Meaning “Spoke (of a wheel).”

Imagine a wheel (车) with many spokes (畐) spreading out like rays of light. This also helps you remember the common word 辐射 (radiation), where energy radiates outward like spokes.

Write the left radical 车 first: horizontal, left-falling, vertical, horizontal. Then write the right part 畐 with seven strokes: start with a horizontal, then vertical, then five more strokes - be careful to keep all horizontal lines parallel and evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the right part too narrow or forgetting the small horizontal stroke inside.

辐 (fú) specifically means 'spoke of a wheel' and uses the phonetic 畐. 毂 (gǔ) means 'hub' or 'axle' and has 殳 on the right, while 舆 (yú) means 'carriage' or 'public' and has 与. Visually, 辐 has many horizontal strokes on the right, 毂 has a 'weapon' component, and 舆 has a 'give' component.

Today 辐 is most common in the word 辐射 (fúshè) meaning 'radiation', used in science and daily life (e.g., mobile phone radiation). It also appears in 辐条 (fútiáo) for 'spokes' of a bicycle wheel, and 辐凑 (fúcòu) is a literary term describing people gathering like spokes converging at a hub, reflecting ancient Chinese thinking about unity.

Common words containing 辐 include: 辐射 (fú shè) — Radiation; to radiate.; 辐条 (fú tiáo) — Spoke (of a wheel).; 辐凑 (fú còu) — To converge; to gather at a center..