rich; wealthy; abundant
HSK level
富 is written with 12 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
富 (fù) is an adjective meaning 'rich, wealthy, or abundant.'
It describes people or places with a lot of money (富人 the rich, 致富 to get rich) and, by extension, anything plentiful or richly endowed (富饶 fertile, 丰富 abundant). As a bound morpheme it's extremely productive: 财富 (wealth), 富有 (wealthy), 富强 (prosperous and strong). English speakers should note that bare 富 rarely stands alone to say 'he is rich' in casual speech — you'd more often say 他很有钱 (he has money) or 他很富有; single-character 富 lives mostly inside compounds and set phrases.
A second sense is 'to enrich / be rich in,' as in 富含维生素 (rich in vitamins). Its clear antonym is 穷 (qióng, poor). The character combines a roof over 'abundance,' picturing a house full of goods.
这个国家资源很富。
Zhège guójiā zīyuán hěn fù.
This country is very rich in resources.
written
他家从穷变富,用了二十年。
Tā jiā cóng qióng biàn fù, yòng le èrshí nián.
His family went from poor to rich over twenty years.
neutral
勤劳的人更容易致富。
Qínláo de rén gèng róngyì zhìfù.
Hardworking people find it easier to get rich.
written
水果富含维生素。
Shuǐguǒ fù hán wéishēngsù.
Fruit is rich in vitamins.
neutral
有钱 literally 'to have money' is the everyday spoken way to say someone is rich. 富 is more written and abstract, and appears mainly in compounds. Say 他很有钱 in conversation, use 富 in 富人 / 富国.
富裕 means 'well-off / prosperous,' describing comfortable living standards of a family, region, or country. Bare 富 is broader and more compound-bound. 生活富裕 (life is comfortable) is idiomatic; 生活富 is not.
副 (fù) means 'deputy / vice-' (副经理, deputy manager) or is a measure word for pairs/sets. It sounds identical to 富 but is unrelated to wealth.
付 (fù) means 'to pay' (付钱, pay money). Same sound as 富 but opposite side of the ledger — 富 is being rich, 付 is handing over money.
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