How to Write 喷 (pēn/pèn) — Meaning “to spray, to gush”

Imagine a mouth (口) spraying water forcefully like a fountain. The right part 贲 can be visualized as a person (十) and a shell (贝) that is bursting, so the whole character reminds you of a mouth that sprays out liquid.

Write the mouth radical 口 first on the left, then the right part 贲. In 贲, pay attention to the top: it is 十 (ten) with a horizontal line 一 below, then 贝 (shell) – do not confuse the top with 艹 (grass). The total strokes are 12.

The character 哥 (gē) means 'elder brother' and consists of two 可 (can) stacked; it has no mouth radical. In contrast, 喷 has the mouth radical on the left and the right part 贲, and it relates to spraying or gushing, not family relations.

You will see 喷 in words like 喷泉 (fountain, water spraying from the ground) and 喷洒 (to spray or sprinkle liquid). Note that in 喷香 (pèn xiāng, deliciously fragrant) the pronunciation changes to the fourth tone, indicating a strong scent like something 'gushing' out fragrance.

Common words containing 喷 include: 喷泉 (pēn quán) — fountain; 喷洒 (pēn sǎ) — to spray, to sprinkle; 喷香 (pèn xiāng) — Deliciously fragrant; very sweet-smelling..