罚 fá penalty
penalty; fine; to punish
How to remember 罚: 罒 net + 讠 words + 刂 knife = penalty. The fisherman is caught with an illegal net, and after some angry words and a seized knife, the officer hands him a penalty.
Component breakdown
罚 = 罒 net + 讠 words + 刂 knife
- 罒 net
- 讠 words
- 刂 knife
The fisherman is caught with an illegal net, and after some angry words and a seized knife, the officer hands him a penalty.
How it is used
- 罚 means to punish, most concretely with a fine or penalty, and is rarely used alone as a verb in speech.
- 罚款 fákuǎn is specifically a monetary fine: 违章罚款 (wéizhāng fákuǎn) - fined for a traffic violation.
- 处罚 chǔfá is the general, slightly formal word for 'to penalize' (any punishment, not just money), while 惩罚 chéngfá is stronger and more emotionally loaded, often used for punishing children or wrongdoing morally.
- Learners often confuse 罚 with 罪 zuì (crime/guilt) - 罚 is the punishment itself, not the offense.