法 (fǎ): law, method
法 (fǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “law, method.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 氵 (structural) and 去 (structural). It ranks #65 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 法 the course 去 followed by a stream 氵. Its radical form 氵 (water) appears in many related characters such as 水 (shuǐ, water), 汉 (hàn, Han ethnic group), 汽 (qì, steam).
Definitions
- law, method
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe course 去 followed by a stream 氵
Decomposition: ⿰氵去 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 法 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 法
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 无法verb | wú fǎ | unable to | 4 |
| 办法noun | bàn fǎ | way of handling sth | 3 |
| 想法noun | xiǎng fǎ | way of thinking | 4 |
| 方法noun | fāng fǎ | method | 3 |
| 法官noun | fǎ guān | judge (in court) | 6 |
| 法律noun | fǎ lǜ | law | 4 |
| 看法noun | kàn fǎ | way of looking at a thing | 4 |
| 说法noun | shuō fǎ | to expound Buddhist teachings | 4 |
| 合法adjective | hé fǎ | lawful | 5 |
| 法院noun | fǎ yuàn | court of law | 5 |
| 违法verb | wéi fǎ | illegal | 5 |
| 做法noun | zuò fǎ | way of handling sth | 4 |
| 手法 | shǒu fǎ | technique | 6 |
| 法定adjective | fǎ dìng | statutory | 6 |
| 法规noun | fǎ guī | legislation | 6 |
| 语法noun | yǔ fǎ | grammar | 4 |
| 书法noun | shū fǎ | calligraphy | 5 |
| 没法儿verb | méi fǎ r | (coll.) can't do anything about it | 5 |
| 用法noun | yòng fǎ | usage | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 法庭 | fǎ tíng | court of law |
| 法国 | fǎ guó | France |
| 法语 | fǎ yǔ | French (language) |
| 法医 | fǎ yī | forensic pathologist |
| 法案 | fǎ àn | bill |
| 法则 | fǎ zé | law |
| 法师 | fǎ shī | one who has mastered the sutras (Buddhism) |
| 法警 | fǎ jǐng | bailiff |
| 法式 | fǎ shì | rule |
| 法令 | fǎ lìng | decree |
| 法老 | fǎ lǎo | pharaoh (loanword) |
| 法郎 | fǎ láng | franc |
| 法典 | fǎ diǎn | legal code |
| 法力 | fǎ lì | magic power |
法 appears in 100 compound words: 67 as the first character, 32 as the last, and 1 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 法 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (40)
to execute on the spot (idiom); summary execution; to carry out the law on the spot
Showing 12 of 40 idioms containing 法.
Example Sentences
根据公司规定，所有新员工都必须接受为期一周的培训。
Gēnjù gōngsī guīdìng, suǒyǒu xīn yuángōng dōu bìxū jiēshòu wéiqī yì zhōu de péixùn.
According to company regulations, all new employees must undergo one week of training.
明真相大陆民众新年感恩:大法师父好
míng zhēn xiāng dà lù mín zhòng xīn nián gǎn ēn : dà fǎ shī fù hǎo
The people of the mainland are grateful for the New Year: Hello Master Dafa
回应法国质疑 欧委会称受邀参加“和平委员会”会...
huí yīng fǎ guó zhì yí ōu wěi huì chèn shòu yāo cān jiā hé píng wěi yuán huì huì . . .
In response to France's doubts, the European Commission said it was invited to participate in the "Peace Commission"...
冬奥会|冬季两项男子4X7.5公里接力:法国队逆转..
dōng ào huì dōng jì liǎng xiàng nán zǐ . gōng lǐ jiē lì fǎ guó duì nì zhuǎn . .
Winter Olympics | Biathlon Men's 4x7.5km Relay: France Stages Comeback...
拜耳股价在法兰克福下跌5.8%
bài ěr gǔ jiè zài fǎ lán kè fú xià diē .
Bayer shares fell 5.8% in Frankfurt.
海洋邂逅非遗 上海海昌解锁新春文旅新玩法
hǎi yáng 邂 逅 fēi yí shǎng hǎi hǎi chāng xiè suǒ xīn chūn wén lǚ xīn wán fǎ
Ocean Encounter with Intangible Cultural Heritage: Shanghai Haichang Unlocks New Cultural Tourism Experiences for the Spring Festival
你是美国人还是法国人？
Nǐ shì Měiguórén háishi Fǎguórén?
Are you American or French?
你的想法和她的想法有什么不同吗？
Nǐ de xiǎngfǎ hé tā de xiǎngfǎ yǒu shénme bù tóng ma?
Is there any difference between your idea and hers?
你这种想法有没有根据？
Nǐ zhèzhǒng xiǎngfǎ yǒuméiyǒu gēnjù?
Do you have any grounds for thinking so?
您不会说法语，是吗？
Nín bù huì shuō Fǎyǔ, shì ma?
You can't speak French, can you?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 法 (fǎ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 法 have?
What is the radical of 法?
What are the components of 法?
What are common words containing 法?
What characters sound the same as 法 (fǎ)?
Is 法 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 法 with real-time feedback
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