Look side by side.

Use & reading

fā Uses corresponding to 發
發生 (fā shēng) · 發現 (fā xiàn) · 出發 (chū fā)

fà Hair, corresponding to 髮
頭髮 (tóu fa) · 理髮 (lǐ fà) · 髮型 (fà xíng)

Modern structure

发 is treated as one abbreviated modern form. Similar visible strokes are not used to infer a single origin for its different sense groups. The two traditional correspondences remain separate research identities.

Form relationship

发现 → 發現; 出发 → 出發; 理发 → 理髮; 发型 → 髮型. These explicit word mappings are the safe examples. Conversion of an unfamiliar word needs lexical evidence; pronunciation and meaning should be checked together instead of guessed from the isolated character.

Historical account

CUHK’s 发 entry lists both 發 and 髮. This is a many-to-one modern spelling relationship. It does not establish one shared origin for those two characters.

Use & reading

fā Occurrence and discovery in established verbs
發生 (fā shēng) · 發現 (fā xiàn)

fā Setting out and developing in established verbs
出發 (chū fā) · 發展 (fā zhǎn)

Modern structure

The modern form has an upper 癶-shaped region and lower 弓 and 殳-shaped regions. This visual inventory is separate from the historical account, which discusses earlier bow forms and changing additions.

Form relationship

發 becomes 发 in simplified writing: 發現 → 发现. Hair 髮 also becomes 发: 頭髮 → 头发. The reverse conversion therefore requires word context. Traditional 發型 is not the correct ordinary spelling for a hairstyle; write 髮型.

Historical account

CUHK explains early forms in relation to a bow and its released string. It describes later added elements and a development toward an analysis with 弓 and phonetic 癹, citing earlier paleographic scholarship.

Use & reading

fà Hair on the head
頭髮 (tóu fa) · 理髮 (lǐ fà) · 髮型 (fà xíng) · 白髮 (bái fà)

fǎ The corresponding Taiwan Mandarin reading
頭髮 (tóu fǎ) · 髮型 (fǎ xíng)

Modern structure

髟 is the upper hair-related component, with 犮 underneath. CUHK identifies a phonetic role for 犮 in the later historical form. Do not replace 犮 with the visually similar 友 when inspecting or writing the character.

Form relationship

髮 simplifies to 发, as does 發. Traditional hair words retain 髮: 頭髮, 理髮, 髮型, 白髮. Traditional script does not inherently require the Taiwan pronunciation: mainland and Taiwan Mandarin conventions must be labeled independently of the displayed spelling.

Historical account

CUHK describes bronze forms with a head component and another element whose original role is uncertain. It reports the proposal that this second element abbreviates a phonetic 犮.