桌子+上+放著+三種水果。There are three fruits (not 3 pieces of fruit) on the table. Or Three fruits stood/stand on the table. 1、The traditional Chinese character 著 is equal to simplified Chinese character 着。Many books describe '著/着' as 'aspect particle' , which is put after a verb and should be called ‘虛詞/function word without no real meaning’, here indicating a state or the continuation of a state. Here are some examples. 窗戶+開著。The window is/was open. 山上+覆蓋著+厚厚的+積雪。The mountain is/was covered with sick snow. 2、Another use of '著/着' is 'continuation of some action'. For example： 他正吃著午飯... He is having his lunch. 風輕輕地吹著... The wind is blowing gently. 他提著箱子走進了那個房間。He went into the room carrying his suitcase.

著 means nothing here,but it's a present progressive sentence when 著 is putting in front of a verb. For example, 桌子上放著三種水果 = 3 kinds of fruit are putting on the table right now. 桌子上放三種水果 = 3 kinds of fruit are usually putting on the table. 桌子上放左（cantonese)/了(mandarin)三種水果 = 3 kinds of fruit have been putting on the table.

In this sentence it is the same as "着“

When you just say"放"，it means "lay (sth somewhere)" but if you say "放著", it means"sth was laid somewhere and it's still there"" for your sentence, it means "there are three kinds of fruits on the table"

it works like -ing in English.... approximately => fruits are lying on the table