This paper is concentrated on the problem of adaptive fuzzy tracking control for an uncertain nonlinear system whose actuator is encountered by the asymmetric backlash behavior. First, we propose a new smooth inverse model which can approximate the asymmetric actuator backlash arbitrarily. By applying it, two adaptive fuzzy control scenarios, namely, the compensation-based control scheme and nonlinear decomposition-based control scheme, are then developed successively. It is worth noticing that the first fuzzy controller exhibits a better tracking control performance, although it recourses to a known slope ratio of backlash nonlinearity. The second one further removes the restriction, and also gets a desirable control performance. By the strict Lyapunov argument, both adaptive fuzzy controllers guarantee that the output tracking error is convergent to an adjustable region of zero asymptotically, while all the signals remain semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded. Lastly, two comparative simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy controllers. © 2013 IEEE.