Chinese character · HSK 3
付 (fù) — “to pay / to hand over”
An ideogram combining a person (亻) and a hand (寸), symbolizing a person extending their hand to give or pay something to another.
How to remember 付
A person (亻) extends their hand (寸) to drop a gold coin and PAY.
Inside the character
- 亻 (person) — meaning component. Often marks a person, human action, or body posture.
- 寸 (hand / measure) — meaning component. A compact form often tied to hand action, control, or simplification.
Where 付 comes from
An associative compound (会意字). In oracle bone script, it depicted a person handing an object over to someone else, with '寸' representing the hand.
Words that use 付
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 付出 | fù chū | to pay / to expend | HSK 4 |
| 付款 | fù kuǎn | to pay a sum of money / payment | HSK 7 |
| 支付 | zhī fù | to pay (money) | HSK 3 |
Learn 付 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6 character
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More characters: 任 (rèn, to appoint / responsibility) · 休 (xiū, to rest) · 伞 (sǎn, umbrella) — or browse the full character library.