---
title: "Sanfa Meaning: 散发 (sànfā) Means “to give off”"
description: "散发 (traditional 散發, sànfā) means “to give off; to emit (smell, light)”. Hear its tones, see what 散 and 发 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/sanfa"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 散发 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

散发 sànfā

## to give off; to emit (smell, light)

## It can also mean

- to distribute; to hand out

## Its characters

1. 散 sàn to distribute
2. 发 fā to emit

## In a sentence

花园里散发着淡淡的花香。 The garden gives off a faint floral scent.

[More about 散发](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%95%A3%E5%8F%91)

## More words with 散 or 发

- [爆发 bàofā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/baofa)
- [并发症 bìngfāzhèng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bingfazheng)
- [出发 chūfā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chufa)
- [发表 fābiǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabiao)
- [发病 fābìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabing)
- [发布 fābù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabu)
- [发出 fāchū](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fachu)
- [发达 fādá](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fada)
- [发电 fādiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fadian)
- [发动 fādòng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fadong)

## Keep 散发 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

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[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

[How it compares with HelloChinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/hellochinese)
