负 (fù) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

fù load, burden; to carry, to bear 6 strokes · Radical 贝 (sea shell) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 负 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced fù.

load
burden
to carry
to bear

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

负 — 6 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

负 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

负 =

⺈ top

贝 bottom sea shell

Radical

The radical of 负 is 贝 — meaning sea shell. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 资败费购贺货赢责账赚.

How the character is built

负 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A person 人 carrying a lot of money 贝.

HSK 4 Words Containing 负

负责 fùzé to be responsible; responsible

他负责公司的市场工作。

Tā fùzé gōngsī de shìchǎng gōngzuò.

He is responsible for the company's marketing.

负责人 fùzérén person in charge; head; director

请问谁是这个项目的负责人？

Qǐngwèn shéi shì zhège xiàngmù de fùzérén?

May I ask who is the person in charge of this project?

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

负 appears in 13 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

有时候，拒绝并不代表不愿意帮忙，而是表示对事情或任务负责。

From Mock Exam 09 →

女的想请男的负责哪方面的工作？

From Mock Exam 10 →

Tasks Featuring 负 / 相关任务

Words containing 负 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 交流、处理日常事务

Handle Daily Affairs · 负责人

📚 谈论工作情况与表现

Work & Performance · 负责

FAQ

What does 负 mean in Chinese?

负 (fù) means load, burden; to carry, to bear. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 负 have?

负 is written in 6 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 负?

The radical of 负 is 贝 (sea shell). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 资, 败, 费, 购, 贺.

What is the pinyin for 负?

负 is pronounced fù.

What HSK 4 words use 负?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 负 appears in 2 words, including 负责 (fùzé), 负责人 (fùzérén). See the full list above.