哺 (bǔ): to feed (a baby or young); to n…

Meanings

鲸鱼是哺乳动物，用奶哺育幼崽。

Jīngyú shì bǔrǔdòngwù, yòng nǎi bǔyù yòuzǎi.

Whales are mammals; they nurse their young with milk.

父母辛苦地哺育子女。

Fùmǔ xīnkǔ de bǔyù zǐnǚ.

Parents work hard to raise their children.

usage

哺 is about feeding the young. Core words: 哺乳 (to suckle / breastfeed), 哺育 (to nurture), 哺乳动物 (mammal).

radical

口 kǒu

mouth

The mouth radical 口 is fitting: 哺 originally meant food held in the mouth to feed the young, mouth to mouth.

phonetic

甫 fǔ

just; a man's courtesy name

甫 gives the sound element (drifted from fǔ to bǔ) and contributes no meaning here, serving as the phonetic part.

哺 bǔ