How to Write 付 (fù) — Meaning “To pay; to hand over”

Imagine a person (亻) reaching out with their hand (寸) to hand over money or an item. You can also think of the phrase "person hands over" to connect the two parts. This visual trick makes the meaning easy to recall.

Write the left radical 亻 first: a left-falling stroke, then a vertical line. Then write the right part 寸: horizontal line, vertical hook, and a dot at the top right. A common mistake is making the dot too large or placing it too far from the hook; keep it small and close.

付's right side is 寸 (hand), while 亿 has 乙 (a hook) and 什 has 十 (ten). 付 means 'to pay' or 'to hand over', 亿 means '100 million', and 什 appears in words like 什么 (what). Pay attention to the right-side component to tell them apart visually.

付 is commonly used in financial contexts, like paying money (付钱) or making a payment (支付). It also appears in 付出 (付出), which can mean expending effort or time. With mobile payments very popular in China, you will see 支付 frequently on apps and in stores.

Common words containing 付 include: 付钱 (fù qián) — To pay money; 付出 (fù chū) — To pay; to invest; to expend; 支付 (zhī fù) — to pay.