福 fú — good fortune
春节时，家家户户都贴上“福”字。Chūn jié shí, jiā jiā hù hù dōu tiē shàng “fú” zì.During Spring Festival, every household puts up the character for good fortune.
Common words: 幸福 (xìng fú)、祝福 (zhù fú)、福利 (fú lì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "good fortune"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "good fortune", including 福 (fú), 禄 (lù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "good fortune" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 福 (fú), 禄 (lù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fú, lù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 福 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 福 fúgood fortuneUseful words: 幸福, 祝福
- 禄 lùgood fortune; official salaryUseful words: 天禄, 无禄
Common words for these 2 "good fortune" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 福 (fú) — so "good fortune" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
幸福xìng fúhappiness; happy; blessed祝福zhù fúblessings; to wish sb well福利fú lìmaterial benefit; benefit in kind; (social) welfare天禄tiān lùauspicious sculpted animal, usu. a unicorn or deer with a long tail; possession of the empire无禄wú lùto be unsalaried; to be unfortunate; death利禄lì lùwealth and official post
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "good fortune".
禄 lù — good fortune; official salary
古人常用“福禄寿”来表达美好的祝愿。Gǔ rén cháng yòng “fú lù shòu” lái biǎo dá měi hǎo de zhù yuàn.The ancients used fortune, prosperity, and longevity to express good wishes.
Common words: 天禄 (tiān lù)、无禄 (wú lù)、利禄 (lì lù)
All 2 characters
Open 福、禄 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.