扫 meaning and stroke order
To sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of; to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan
How to write 扫, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 扫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sweep (with a brush or broom)
- to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of
- to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan
- (bound form) a (large) broom
How 扫 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 掃; to use 扌 a broom 帚; 帚 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 扫
The left side 扌 is a hand, and the right side 彐 looks like the top of a broom 帚 (zhǒu). A hand holding a broom means to sweep.
扫 (sǎo) is used for sweeping floors, but also for quick scanning actions, like scanning a QR code or sweeping your eyes over a page. In daily life you will hear 扫码 (sǎo mǎ) everywhere. Example: 请扫一下这个二维码。(Qǐng sǎo yīxià zhège èrwéimǎ.) Please scan this QR code.
Common mistake: Learners often say 扫帚 (broom) with the third tone, but here it is read sào, and 帚 is neutral: sàozhou. Also, the right side 彐 has three horizontal strokes, so do not confuse it with 归 (guī), which has a short vertical stroke on the left instead of 扌.
Common words with 扫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | to clean; to sweep | HSK 4 |
| 扫描 | sǎomiáo | to scan | HSK 7-9 |
| 扫兴 | sǎoxìng | to spoil things; to dampen spirits; to feel deflated; to be dispirited | HSK 7-9 |
| 扫除 | sǎochú | to clean; to clean up; to eliminate; to wipe out | HSK 7-9 |
| 扫墓 | sǎomù | to sweep a grave (and pay one's respects to the dead person) | HSK 7-9 |
| 清扫 | qīngsǎo | to tidy up; to mop up | |
| 扫帚 | sàozhou | broom | |
| 扫荡 | sǎodàng | (military) to mop up; to crack down on; to eradicate | |
| 扫射 | sǎoshè | to rake with machine gunfire; to strafe | |
| 扫地 | sǎodì | to sweep the floor; (fig.) (of one's reputation etc) to reach rock bottom | |
| 横扫 | héngsǎo | to sweep away; to sweep across | |
| 扫把 | sàobǎ | broom | |
| 扫描仪 | sǎomiáoyí | scanner (device) | |
| 打扫卫生 | dǎsǎowèishēng | to do the cleaning; to clean up |
扫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 扫
How many strokes are in 扫?
扫 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 扫 mean?
扫 (sǎo) means to sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of; to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan. A common word with it is 打扫 (dǎsǎo), meaning "to clean; to sweep".
How do you pronounce 扫?
扫 is pronounced sǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 扫?
The radical of 扫 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 扫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 扫?
The traditional form of 扫 is 掃. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 扫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 扫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 扫 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 扫兴 (sǎoxìng) mean in everyday speech?
It means to spoil the fun or feel let down, literally sweeping away someone's good mood. You might say 别扫兴 (bié sǎoxìng), meaning don't be a killjoy.
What is 扫墓 (sǎomù) and when do people do it?
扫墓 means sweeping a family grave and paying respects to ancestors. It is most closely tied to the Qingming Festival (清明节) in early April.