方
fāng
- Pinyin
- fāng
- Pinyin (Plain)
- fang
- Tone
- 1
- Strokes
- 4
- Radical
- 方
- Readings
- fāngfangTone: 1surname FangOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 472 770 Q 506 739 544 700 Q 560 684 580 684 Q 593 684 600 701 Q 607 719 596 756 Q 584 798 467 830 Q 448 834 440 832 Q 433 828 435 811 Q 439 798 472 770 Z", "M 514 542 Q 643 563 895 562 Q 919 563 924 573 Q 931 586 911 603 Q 848 646 789 635 Q 576 592 151 534 Q 126 531 144 511 Q 162 495 182 489 Q 207 483 226 489 Q 341 520 470 537 Q 471 538 474 537 L 514 542 Z", "M 510 433 Q 528 415 615 398 Q 657 389 656 353 Q 653 343 650 324 Q 625 180 576 113 Q 566 101 551 96 Q 527 89 462 118 Q 422 133 418 126 Q 414 116 432 105 Q 492 69 520 19 Q 526 1 538 -5 Q 551 -9 586 14 Q 640 62 688 241 Q 709 334 734 348 Q 746 354 747 363 Q 748 373 725 399 Q 692 432 642 431 Q 584 435 528 459 C 500 470 484 449 510 433 Z", "M 528 459 Q 531 463 534 466 Q 549 476 547 492 Q 540 516 515 542 Q 514 543 514 542 C 493 564 475 567 474 537 Q 481 465 324 257 Q 311 242 298 228 Q 234 162 126 90 Q 119 86 114 81 Q 107 72 118 69 Q 139 63 245 122 Q 270 140 298 162 Q 397 246 493 406 Q 500 421 510 433 L 528 459 Z"]
- Meaning
- The character “方” most commonly means “square” or “square-shaped,” and by extension can refer to direction/side (as in “all directions”), a method or way of doing something, or a prescription/formula in medicine. It also appears in some place names and surnames.
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 7/15/2026, 3:19:40 AM
Usage
In modern Chinese, 方 (fāng) is most commonly seen with the meanings “square” and “direction.” It appears in basic words like 正方形 (zhèngfāngxíng, square), 方形 (fāngxíng, square-shaped), and 东方/西方 (dōngfāng/xīfāng, the East/the West). Learners also meet it in place names and geographical terms, such as 北方/南方 (běifāng/nánfāng, the North/the South), and in everyday phrases like 四面八方 (sìmiàn bāfāng, from all directions). In these contexts 方 usually gives a sense of “side,” “region,” or “directional area.” Another very common learner context is 方 as a component in compound words. In 方法 (fāngfǎ, method), 方案 (fāng’àn, plan), and 方针 (fāngzhēn, policy/guide), it carries the idea of “way,” “approach,” or “plan.” In 药方 (yàofāng, prescription) and 配方 (pèifāng, formula/recipe), it means “formula” or “prescription.” It also appears frequently in names and surnames (e.g., 方 as a family name) and in some set phrases like 主办方 (zhǔbànfāng, organizer/host side) and 甲方/乙方 (jiǎfāng/yǐfāng, Party A/Party B in contracts), where it roughly means “party” or “side” in an arrangement.
Handwriting Notes
方 is a fairly compact, square-ish character in handwriting, usually fitting neatly into an imaginary box. It’s composed of a slightly slanted horizontal line at the top, a short vertical “hook” component on the left, and two strokes on the right that form an angle or open corner shape. In neat handwriting, people tend to keep the proportions balanced: the left side is relatively narrow, and the right side opens out a bit more, giving the character a sense of “direction” or expansion toward the right. In practice, handwritten 方 can vary quite a bit. Some writers make the top line almost flat, while others tilt it slightly upward; the right-side “corner” strokes may be sharp and angular or somewhat curved; and the overall shape can be more tall-rectangular or almost perfectly square. Fast handwriting often simplifies angles and straight lines into smoother, more fluid motions, which can make 方 look more rounded or less regular. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such variants, allowing them to identify the character 方 accurately even when people write it with different proportions, angles, or levels of neatness.
Description
方 is a common Chinese character meaning “square,” “direction,” or “method/way.” It also appears frequently in place names and surnames (e.g., the surname Fang). In compounds, it can indicate “area/region” or “side,” as in 东方 (dōngfāng, “the East”).