法
fǎ
- Pinyin
- fǎ
- Pinyin (Plain)
- fa
- Tone
- 3
- Strokes
- 8
- Radical
- 水
- Readings
- fǎfaTone: 3variant of 法[fa3]Order: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 270 687 Q 298 662 329 631 Q 344 616 362 617 Q 375 617 380 633 Q 386 649 376 684 Q 364 718 265 742 Q 247 746 240 743 Q 234 739 236 724 Q 240 711 270 687 Z", "M 158 521 Q 201 464 236 447 Q 252 443 263 457 Q 270 470 268 488 Q 259 530 173 562 Q 157 568 146 565 Q 139 564 141 550 Q 142 537 158 521 Z", "M 143 178 Q 130 175 132 157 Q 144 79 180 59 Q 187 52 198 54 Q 205 55 208 81 Q 215 130 328 395 Q 335 411 335 418 Q 334 428 325 422 Q 307 412 187 222 Q 174 200 143 178 Z", "M 625 556 Q 787 595 795 601 Q 805 610 800 619 Q 791 632 760 639 Q 727 645 695 632 Q 662 620 628 609 L 572 593 Q 514 581 446 572 Q 406 565 435 547 Q 478 525 550 541 Q 560 544 573 545 L 625 556 Z", "M 614 404 Q 620 483 625 556 L 628 609 Q 629 685 649 767 Q 653 779 632 794 Q 595 815 568 819 Q 550 823 542 814 Q 535 805 543 789 Q 567 755 567 732 Q 571 665 572 593 L 573 545 Q 573 475 570 397 C 569 367 612 374 614 404 Z", "M 592 364 Q 724 391 894 392 Q 915 392 921 402 Q 925 414 909 426 Q 857 462 821 451 Q 745 432 614 404 L 570 397 Q 465 379 347 358 Q 328 355 343 339 Q 356 326 374 322 Q 395 318 410 323 Q 468 342 532 354 L 592 364 Z", "M 722 179 Q 604 160 484 137 Q 474 136 472 138 Q 471 142 477 149 Q 580 285 620 319 Q 636 335 626 346 Q 617 358 592 364 C 564 374 530 384 532 354 Q 532 350 533 344 Q 537 322 519 284 Q 494 233 449 183 Q 424 152 372 125 Q 341 112 341 100 Q 340 81 352 58 Q 364 36 378 30 Q 387 26 399 33 Q 498 97 724 154 Q 730 155 736 157 C 765 164 752 184 722 179 Z", "M 736 157 Q 763 111 793 55 Q 803 30 819 22 Q 826 18 838 26 Q 854 36 853 85 Q 853 145 696 268 Q 687 275 682 264 Q 678 251 686 237 Q 704 210 722 179 L 736 157 Z"]
- Meaning
- The Chinese character “法” mainly means “law” or “rules” (as in legal systems, regulations, or methods people should follow). It can also mean a “method/way of doing something” in a broader sense, such as a technique, approach, or practice (including in Buddhism, where it can mean “the teachings” or “the Dharma”).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:17:55 PM
Usage
“法” most commonly means “law” or “rules,” so learners first meet it in words about legal systems and regulations. Examples include 法律 (fǎlǜ, law), 法规 (fǎguī, regulations), 法院 (fǎyuàn, court), and 违法 (wéifǎ, to break the law). It’s also used for methods or established ways of doing things, as in 方法 (fāngfǎ, method), 做法 (zuòfǎ, way of doing something), and 想法 (xiǎngfǎ, way of thinking/idea). In these cases, 法 carries the sense of a standard, rule, or “way of doing” rather than formal law. Learners also encounter “法” as a suffix indicating “-way” or “-style,” especially with languages and approaches. For example, 法语 / 法文 (Fǎyǔ / Fǎwén) is the French language, and 教学法 (jiàoxuéfǎ) is a teaching method. In Buddhism-related words, 法 can mean “Dharma” or “Buddhist teachings,” as in 佛法 (fófǎ, the Buddha’s teachings), though this is usually a later, more specific meaning learners see in religious or cultural contexts. Overall, “法” regularly appears both in everyday modern vocabulary about law and methods, and as a productive component forming many common compound words.
Handwriting Notes
法 is visually left-right structured: on the left is the three-dot water radical 氵, and on the right is 去 (itself made of 土 on top of an 儿-like component). In handwriting, the left side is usually written as three short, slightly slanting dots that “flow” downward, rather than three perfectly round dots. The right side is often slightly taller and more compact, so the whole character feels somewhat narrow and vertical, with the water dots hugging the left edge. Handwritten forms can vary in how curved, slanted, or connected the strokes are. Some writers merge the bottom two water dots into a more fluid shape, and the diagonal strokes in 去 may be more curved or written with a single sweeping motion. In casual writing, the proportions can shift: the water radical might be compressed, or the lower 儿-like part may become more open or angular. Despite this, readers rely on the distinctive “water + 去” structure to recognize 法. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle this range of variation, matching different personal styles and stroke shapes back to the standard character 法.
Description
法 is a common Chinese character meaning “law,” “method,” or “way,” as in rules, legal systems, or ways of doing things. It appears in words like 法律 (law), 方法 (method), and 法國/法国 (France).