FU-2

('fu' in the second tone)

There are some 121 standard Chinese characters that can be spoken 'fu' (many characters can be spoken in different ways, and then have different meanings). The major sound-indicating components in the more complicated characters spoken as 'fu' are: 夫 (9 cases), 付 (13)

That many of the roughly 400 morphemes that make up the Chinese language can have meanings that are opposite to each other is well illustrates with the morpheme 'fu', which, depending on its pronunciation can mean 'father' (fourth tone), 'wife' (fourth tone), and 'husband' (first tone).

服 = clothes

The two-character designation for clothes is much more common:

衣服 = yi(1)fu(-) = clothes

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服务 = fu(2)wu(4) = to serve, service

服务社 = fu(2)wu(4) she(4) = service agency

The signboard of a service agency.

Character composition of 服:

The left part is the 'moon' radical. The right part does not exist as an independent character, but is also a component in:

报 = bao(4) = to report

报纸 = bao(4)zhi(3) = newspaper