Fú 福 Meaning: The Chinese Character for Blessing and Good Fortune

The Chinese character 福, fú, means blessing, good fortune and happiness. It is one of the most widely used auspicious signs in Chinese culture, pasted on doors and windows at the Spring Festival, woven into textiles and carved into ornaments.

Fú at the Spring Festival

At Chinese New Year, families paste the character 福 on their doors, usually written in black or gold on a square of red paper. As the Confucius Institute for Scotland explains, it expresses a wish for a happy life and a better year ahead.

Why is 福 hung upside down?

It is a pun. "Upside down" (倒 dào) sounds almost exactly like "arrive" (到 dào), so an upside-down fú says "good fortune has arrived". That is why the character is so often seen inverted on doors at New Year. There is a practical exception: in places where "pouring out" would be unwelcome, such as water containers or storage, people keep it the right way up.

The bat and fú

The same wordplay makes the bat an auspicious animal. The word for bat, 蝠, is also pronounced fú, so bats appear throughout Chinese decorative art as a picture of blessing, often in groups of five for the "five blessings".

Fu Xing, the star of fortune

Fú is also personified as Fu Xing, the god of good fortune, one of the three star gods Fu, Lu and Shou, representing fortune, prosperity and longevity. They are often shown together.

Not a "Fu dog"

The stone guardian lions outside Chinese buildings are sometimes called "Fu dogs" in English. They are lions, not dogs, and the name has nothing to do with the character 福.

Fú in jewellery

A Fú charm carries one of the most generous wishes in Chinese culture. Take a look at the AURYN Fú charm, or read our guide to Chinese auspicious symbols.