Why is the Buddha Called “Fo” in Chinese? What does It Mean?

“Fo” is the abbreviation for “Fotuo” which was used to translate the word “Buddha”. “The characters used for “Fotuo” were pronounced “Buda” at the time of translation). Buddha means “an enlightened one” or “an awakened one”. The term “Buddha” existed in India from the earliest times, but Buddhism has attributed three additional connotations to the term.

They are as follows: ⑴ enlightenment (Sambodhi, which means thoroughly realizing the properties and appearance of all dhammas as they are); ⑵ perfect enlightenment (Samma-sambodhi, which means not only enlightening oneself but also equally and universally enlightening others); ⑶ supreme or paramount enlightenment (Anuttara samma-sambodhi, which means one’s wisdom and achievement have reached the highest and the most perfect sphere in enlightening oneself or others). (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)