寸
usually contributes the sense of a hand acting on something — holding · Kangxi radical 41
usually contributes the sense of a hand acting on something — holding, measuring, or handling — and secondarily the idea of a small measured distance
寸 began as a drawing of a hand seen from the side, with a short stroke or dot added just below the wrist to mark the spot where the pulse is felt, roughly an inch down from the palm. In the modern shape you can still read the long horizontal and sweeping stroke as the hand and forearm, with the added dot as that pointing mark. Because the graph is essentially a hand, characters like 守 (guard), 夺 (seize), 射 (shoot) and 尊 (hold up respectfully) use it for actions done with the hand, while 吋 and 忖 (mentally measure) lean on the measuring sense.
寸 at a glance
- Meaning
- usually contributes the sense of a hand acting on something — holding
- Strokes
- 3
- Characters
- 42
- Role
- Usually contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 41
Characters with 寸 (33 of 42)
HSK 1 · 2
HSK 4 · 5
HSK 5 · 8
HSK 6 · 2
Beyond HSK · 13
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 寸 mean?
寸 means "usually contributes the sense of a hand acting on something — holding". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 寸?
42 characters in this dictionary contain 寸, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 寸 a radical?
Yes — 寸 is Kangxi radical 41, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 寸 have?
寸 is written in 3 strokes.