彐
usually stands in for a hand grasping or holding something · Kangxi radical 58
usually stands in for a hand grasping or holding something, though as a radical it is traditionally named "snout"
The old graph behind most characters with 彐 is a hand seen from the side, with the fingers drawn as short lines and the wrist as a stroke below; squashed and squared off over time, it became the three strokes of 彐, where the two horizontals are the fingers and the vertical-turned stroke ties them to the wrist. You can still see the grip in 帚 (a hand holding a broom), 妇 (a woman with that broom), 雪 (a hand sweeping snow), 侵 and 浸 (a hand pushing something in), and 争 (two hands pulling at one object from above and below). The name "snout" comes from a separate old graph of a pig's head that ended up written the same way, so the label fits the radical list better than it fits these characters.
彐 at a glance
- Meaning
- usually stands in for a hand grasping or holding something
- Strokes
- 3
- Characters
- 33
- Role
- Usually contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 58
Characters with 彐 (26 of 33)
HSK 2 · 2
HSK 4 · 1
HSK 6 · 6
Beyond HSK · 12
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 彐 mean?
彐 means "usually stands in for a hand grasping or holding something". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 彐?
33 characters in this dictionary contain 彐, including ones at HSK 2, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 彐 a radical?
Yes — 彐 is Kangxi radical 58, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 彐 have?
彐 is written in 3 strokes.