拨 meaning and stroke order
To push aside with the hand, foot, a stick etc; to dial; to allocate
How to write 拨, 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.
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Meaning of 拨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to push aside with the hand, foot, a stick etc
- to dial
- to allocate
- to set aside (money)
- to poke (the fire)
- to pluck (a string instrument)
How 拨 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To dispatch 发 goods by hand 扌.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拨
The hand radical 扌 sits next to 发 (fā, to send out), so picture a hand sending something away from you. You push things aside, send a call out by dialing, or send money out by allocating it.
In everyday speech 拨 most often means to dial a phone, as in 拨打 (bōdǎ) and 拨号 (bōhào), and in official contexts it means to allocate funds, as in 拨款 (bōkuǎn). It also covers small hand movements like plucking a string or poking a fire. Example: 请拨打这个号码。(Qǐng bōdǎ zhège hàomǎ.) Please dial this number.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 拨 with 拔 (bá, to pull out), since both have 扌 and a right side that looks similar. Remember that 拔 pulls something up and out, while 拨 pushes or flicks something aside, and the tones differ too: bō versus bá.
Common words with 拨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
拨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拨
How many strokes are in 拨?
拨 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 拨 mean?
拨 (bō) means to push aside with the hand, foot, a stick etc; to dial; to allocate. A common word with it is 拨打 (bōdǎ), meaning "to call; to dial".
How do you pronounce 拨?
拨 is pronounced bō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 拨?
The radical of 拨 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 拨?
The traditional form of 拨 is 撥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 拨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 拨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拨 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拨打 and 打 for making a phone call?
打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) is the normal casual way to say make a call. 拨打 (bōdǎ) sounds more formal and appears on signs, recorded messages and instructions, such as 请拨打110.
What does 挑拨 mean and how is it used?
挑拨 (tiǎobō) means to stir up trouble between people, like poking them against each other. It often appears in 挑拨离间 (tiǎobō líjiàn), to sow discord, for example 他在挑拨我们的关系。He is trying to turn us against each other.