扎 meaning and stroke order
To prick; to run or stick (a needle etc) into; mug or jug used for serving beer (loanword from "jar")
How to write 扎, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 扎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to prick
- to run or stick (a needle etc) into
- mug or jug used for serving beer (loanword from "jar")
- (of troops) to be stationed (at)
- Taiwan pr. [zha2]
- variant of 紮|扎[zha1]
- to tie
- to bind
- classifier for flowers, banknotes etc: bundle
- Taiwan pr. [zha2]
- variant of 紮|扎[za1]
- used in 掙扎|挣扎[zheng1 zha2]
How 扎 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 扌 tying a bundle with string 乚.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 扎
A hand 扌 on the left tying a bundle with a hooked string 乚 on the right. Picture a hand wrapping string tight around something, which gives you "to bind" and "to tie."
扎 has three readings: zhā for pricking and being stationed (扎针, 驻扎), zā for tying or bundling (包扎), and zhá only in 挣扎 (zhēngzhá, to struggle). It also appears in 扎实 (zhāshi), meaning solid or well grounded. Example: 他的基础很扎实。(Tā de jīchǔ hěn zhāshi.) His foundation is very solid.
Common mistake: Learners often read 挣扎 as zhēngzhā, but here 扎 is second tone, zhēngzhá. Also, 包扎 uses zā, not zhā.
Common words with 扎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
扎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 扎
Learning 扎 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 扎
How many strokes are in 扎?
扎 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 扎 mean?
扎 (zhā) means to prick; to run or stick (a needle etc) into; mug or jug used for serving beer (loanword from "jar"). A common word with it is 扎实 (zhāshi), meaning "strong; solid".
How do you pronounce 扎?
扎 is pronounced zhā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 扎?
The radical of 扎 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 扎 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 扎?
The traditional form of 扎 is 紥 and 紮. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 扎 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 扎 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 扎 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say "a bundle of flowers" with 扎?
Use 扎 as a classifier read zā: 一扎花 (yì zā huā), a bundle of flowers. It works for tied-up bunches like banknotes too.
What does 扎啤 mean?
扎啤 (zhāpí) means draft beer. Here 扎 comes from the English word "jar" and refers to a beer mug or jug.