抢 meaning and stroke order
To fight over; to rush; to scramble
How to write 抢, stroke by stroke
7 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 抢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fight over
- to rush
- to scramble
- to grab
- to rob
- to snatch
- (literary) to knock against (esp. to knock one's head on the ground in grief or rage)
- opposite in direction; contrary
How 抢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 仓 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 抢
抢 is a hand 扌 next to 仓 (cāng), a granary. Picture a hand reaching into the granary to grab grain before anyone else can, and 仓 also hints at the sound qiǎng.
抢 means to grab, snatch, or rob, and also to rush to do something first. It appears in words like 抢劫 (qiǎngjié, to rob), 抢救 (qiǎngjiù, to rescue), and 抢先 (qiǎngxiān, to get in first). Example: 他抢了我的手机。(Tā qiǎng le wǒ de shǒujī.) He snatched my phone.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 抢 with 枪 (qiāng, gun), which has the wood radical 木 instead of the hand 扌 and a first tone. Remember that grabbing is done by hand, so 抢 takes 扌.
Common words with 抢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 抢救 | qiǎngjiù | to rescue | HSK 5 |
| 抢劫 | qiǎngjié | to rob; looting | HSK 7-9 |
| 抢夺 | qiǎngduó | to plunder; to pillage | HSK 7-9 |
| 抢眼 | qiǎngyǎn | eye-catching | HSK 7-9 |
| 抢走 | qiǎngzǒu | to snatch (esp related to a robbery) | |
| 抢劫案 | qiǎngjié'àn | robbery; holdup | |
| 抢先 | qiǎngxiān | to rush (to do sth urgent); to try to be the first | |
| 抢手 | qiǎngshǒu | (of goods) popular; in great demand | |
| 抢占 | qiǎngzhàn | to seize (the strategic high ground) |
抢 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 抢
How many strokes are in 抢?
抢 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 抢 mean?
抢 (qiǎng) means to fight over; to rush; to scramble. A common word with it is 抢救 (qiǎngjiù), meaning "to rescue".
How do you pronounce 抢?
抢 is pronounced qiǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 抢?
The radical of 抢 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 抢 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 抢?
The traditional form of 抢 is 搶. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 抢 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 抢 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 抢 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 抢手 mean, and does it mean someone was robbed?
No. 抢手 (qiǎngshǒu) describes goods that are in high demand, as if everyone is grabbing for them. For example, 这款手机很抢手 means this phone model sells very well.
Why does 抢救 mean to rescue if 抢 means to rob?
Here 抢 carries its sense of rushing or racing against time. 抢救 (qiǎngjiù) means to rescue urgently, often in medical emergencies, as in 抢救病人 (qiǎngjiù bìngrén), to give emergency treatment to a patient.