麸 (fū) · bran, cereal husk (esp. wheat bran)

Measure Word

一袋麸 dài

Meanings

1 bran
2 cereal husk (esp. wheat bran)

Characters

麸

fū

bran, cereal husk

Examples

HSK 7-9

麸皮富含膳食纤维，对健康有益。

Fūpí fùhán shànshí xiānwéi, duì jiànkāng yǒuyì.

Wheat bran is rich in dietary fiber and is beneficial for health.

HSK 7-9

面粉加工后，麸会被筛去。

Miànfěn jiāgōng hòu, fū huì bèi shāi qù.

After flour is processed, the bran is sifted out.

Tips

usage

麸 alone refers to bran in general. The common compound 麸皮 specifically means wheat bran. 麸质 means gluten - important for those with celiac disease (麸质不耐症).

Components

radical

麦 mài

wheat; barley

Left wheat radical - the indexing radical, a pictograph of a wheat plant with grain at the top and roots below (modernized from traditional 麥). Anchors 麸 in the small grain family: 麦 wheat, 麸 bran, 面 wheat flour. Marks 麸 as a byproduct of wheat processing - the outer husk left after milling.

phonetic

夫 fū

man; husband

Right 夫 supplies the sound - fū exactly, no shift. A clean phonetic pairing; the 'man' meaning of 夫 contributes nothing semantically. Same phonetic family: 肤 skin (also an outer layer!), 扶 to support, 趺 instep. The 肤/麸 pair is a nice mnemonic - both are outer husk layers, one of the body, one of grain.