What does 发 mean in Chinese?

发 (fā) means "to send, issue, to send out, to develop" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 3.

How do you write 发?

发 is written with 5 strokes, starting from the 又 (again) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 发?

The radical of 发 is 又 (again, Kangxi radical #29). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 受, 难, 变, 友.

How many strokes does 发 have?

The Chinese character 发 has 5 strokes.

What HSK level is 发?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 发 is a character to recognise at HSK 3 and to write by hand at HSK 3.

发 (fā): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

发

fā

to send, issue, to send out, to develop

HSK 3 character 5 strokes Radical: 又 (again)

Quick Answer

发 (fā) means "to send, issue, to send out" with 5 strokes, radical 又 (again), HSK 3 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 发 →Animated stroke-order for 发 →

Pronunciation

fā

Meaning

Primary: to send

Other meanings:

issue
to send out
to develop

Etymology

A bow shooting — to send out, hair

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Basic info

Pinyin	fā
Meanings	to send, issue, to send out, to develop
Stroke count	5 strokes
Radical	又 (#29: again)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 3, write by hand at HSK 3
Frequency	#5 most common

Example sentences

我要发短信给他。
Wǒ yào fā duǎnxìn gěi tā.
I want to send him a text message.
From 发 (HSK 3)
我发烧了。
Wǒ fāshāo le.
I have a fever.
From 发烧 (HSK 3)
我发现了错误。
Wǒ fāxiàn le cuòwù.
I discovered a mistake.
From 发现 (HSK 3)

Words containing 发

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
发	fā	to send, issue	HSK 3
发烧	fāshāo	fever	HSK 3
发现	fāxiàn	to discover	HSK 3
头发	tóufa	Hair	HSK 3
出发	chūfā	Set out	HSK 3
发生	fāshēng	Happen	HSK 3
发展	fāzhǎn	Development	HSK 3
理发	lǐfà	Haircut	HSK 4
沙发	shāfā	Sofa	HSK 3
发表	fābiǎo	Publish	HSK 5
发达	fādá	To develop	HSK 5
发挥	fāhuī	Develop	HSK 5
发票	fāpiào	invoice	HSK 6
发言	fāyán	give a speech	HSK 5
启发	qǐfā	Inspire	HSK 6
发愁	fāchóu	To be worried	HSK 6
发抖	fādǒu	Tremble	HSK 7-9
发明	fāmíng	Invention	HSK 5
开发	kāifā	Development	HSK 5
颁发	bānfā	to issue, to promulgate	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Don't confuse with

友

发 (fā) ≠ 友

反

发 (fā) ≠ 反 (fǎn), to oppose

Share the 又 (again) radical

受难nán 变友又yòu

See all characters with the 又 radical →

Similar meaning (body)

面face 手hand 体头口mouth 身耳ear 眼eye

On the new HSK 3 exam

Studying for HSK 3? Keep 发 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 3 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

发

fā