拍 meaning and stroke order
To pat; to clap; to slap
How to write 拍, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 8
Meaning of 拍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pat
- to clap
- to slap
- to swat
- to take (a photo)
- to shoot (a film)
How 拍 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 白 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拍
拍 combines the hand radical 扌 with 白 (bái), which gives a hint of the sound. Picture a hand coming down flat to pat or clap, and remember the bái sound shifting to pāi.
拍 means to pat, clap, or slap with an open hand, and in modern Chinese it is very common for taking photos and shooting films. 我们在这里拍张照吧。(Wǒmen zài zhèlǐ pāi zhāng zhào ba.) Let's take a photo here.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 拍 as 柏 (bǎi, cypress) or 泊 (bó), which share the 白 part but have the tree or water radical instead of the hand. Also note the tone is first tone pāi, not the second tone of 白 (bái).
Common words with 拍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 拍照 | pāizhào | to take a picture | HSK 4 |
| 拍摄 | pāishè | to take (a picture); to shoot (a film) | HSK 5 |
| 球拍 | qiúpāi | (tennis, badminton etc) racket; (table tennis) paddle; (cricket) bat | HSK 6 |
| 拍卖 | pāimài | to auction; auction sale | HSK 7-9 |
| 拍戏 | pāixì | to shoot a movie | HSK 7-9 |
| 拍板 | pāibǎn | wooden clappers (percussion instrument); to beat time with clappers (for a singer) | HSK 7-9 |
| 拍电影 | pāidiànyǐng | to make a movie | |
| 拍档 | pāidàng | partner | |
| 开拍 | kāipāi | to begin shooting (a movie, a scene of a movie etc); to start the bidding (auction) | |
| 拍拖 | pāituō | (dialect) to date sb | |
| 拍片 | pāipiàn | to shoot a film; to have a medical imaging procedure | |
| 偷拍 | tōupāi | to photograph or film sb without their knowledge or consent | |
| 拍卖会 | pāimàihuì | auction | |
| 拍子 | pāizi | beat (music); paddle-shaped object (flyswatter etc) |
拍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 拍
Learning 拍 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 拍
How many strokes are in 拍?
拍 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 拍 mean?
拍 (pāi) means to pat; to clap; to slap. A common word with it is 拍照 (pāizhào), meaning "to take a picture".
How do you pronounce 拍?
拍 is pronounced pāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 拍?
The radical of 拍 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拍 under this radical.
Is 拍 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拍 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do you say 'to clap your hands' in Chinese?
Say 拍手 (pāishǒu), or 鼓掌 (gǔzhǎng) for applauding an audience performance. 拍手 is the more casual, everyday phrase.
Can 拍 mean rhythm or beat in music?
Yes. As a noun, 拍 means a beat, as in 节拍 (jiépāi, rhythm or meter) and 一拍 (yì pāi, one beat). Musicians count beats with it, for example 四拍 (sì pāi, four beats).