How to Write 父 (fù) — Meaning “Father”

Imagine a father showing you how to use a cross-shaped tool — the character looks like two crossed lines with a small opening. The top strokes resemble a pair of open arms, and the bottom strokes are like legs, forming a stick figure of a dad. Think: 'Father stands with arms wide open.'

The stroke order is: left-falling (piě), left-falling again, right-falling (nà), and then the last dot (diǎn) above the cross. A common mistake is making the top two strokes too long or uneven; they should be short and symmetrical like a V. Also, ensure the bottom dot is centered above the crossing point, not too far to the left or right.

父 means father, while 爷 means grandfather or an older man, and is written with an extra component 乚 (a bent stroke) at the bottom right. Visually, 爷 has a curved hook-like stroke below the cross, whereas 父 ends with a simple dot. In usage, 父 is formal for father, but 爷 is colloquial for grandpa or used as a respectful title for older men.

父 is used in formal or compound words like 父亲 (father) and 父母 (parents), but not as a standalone term for 'dad' in daily speech. In Chinese culture, the father is traditionally seen as the authority figure and provider, reflected in idioms like 父爱如山 (father's love is as steady as a mountain). The character also appears in respectful terms for ancestors, such as 祖父 (paternal grandfather).

Common words containing 父 include: 父亲 (fù qīn) — Father; 父母 (fù mǔ) — Parents; 祖父 (zǔ fù) — paternal grandfather.