风 (fēng) means "wind, style" with 4 strokes, radical 风 (wind), HSK 3 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: wind
Other meanings:
- style
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
In oracle-bone script, wind was written using the character for 'phoenix' (鳳), because the ancients believed wind was stirred by the beating wings of a great bird. Later writers added 凡 as a phonetic component, yielding traditional 風: 凡 on the outside for sound and 虫 ('insect/creature') inside, reflecting an old belief that wind carried or bred small creatures. The simplified 风 replaces the inner 虫 with 乂, losing this layer entirely.
Form evolution
Bronze and seal forms of 風 show the 凡 enclosure with a bird or insect-shaped element inside. Clerical script regularised the enclosure into the curved 几-like frame and standardised 虫 inside, giving traditional 風. The 1950s simplification replaced 虫 with the simple cross stroke 乂, producing 风. The outer frame (sometimes analysed as 几) was retained in both traditional and simplified forms.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense is literal moving air. It extended early to 'custom' or 'prevailing practice' (风俗, 风气), on the metaphor that customs move through a society like wind through a landscape. Further extensions include 'manner' or 'style' (风度, 作风), 'news' or 'rumor' (风声), and 'scenery' (风景). Classical poetry uses 风 as the name for one of the three sections of the Shijing, songs that 'moved' the people.
Cultural note
The idiom 风马牛不相及 ('as unrelated as wind, horse, and cow') comes from the Zuozhuan and describes things that have nothing to do with each other. Learners often write 风 with the outer stroke as an ordinary 几, but the true outer shape is a single curved stroke with a hook, a detail that matters in handwriting exams.
Mnemonic
A sail catching air — wind
Basic info
| Pinyin | fēng |
| Meanings | wind, style |
| Stroke count | 4 strokes |
| Radical | 风 (#182: wind) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 3, write by hand at HSK 3 |
| Frequency | #57 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 风
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 刮风 | guāfēng | Windy | |
| 风景 | fēngjǐng | Scenery | HSK 4 |
| 风险 | fēngxiǎn | risk | HSK 5 |
| 麦克风 | màikèfēng | Microphone | HSK 6 |
| 风格 | fēnggé | style | HSK 5 |
| 风俗 | fēngsú | Customs | HSK 5 |
| 暴风雨 | bàofēngyǔ | rainstorm, violent storm | |
| 风 | fēng | wind, style | HSK 3 |
| 风暴 | fēngbào | storm, violent commotion | HSK 7-9 |
| 风采 | fēngcǎi | elegant demeanor | HSK 7-9 |
| 风潮 | fēngcháo | crisis, storm | |
| 风度 | fēngdù | bearing, demeanor | HSK 7-9 |
| 风光 | fēngguāng | scenery, sight | HSK 6 |
| 风行 | fēngxíng | popular, prevalent | |
| 风雨 | fēngyǔ | wind and rain, hardships | HSK 6 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 3 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.