掃 meaning and stroke order
To clean, to sweep, to wipe away; to weed out; to wipe out
How to write 掃, stroke by stroke
11 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 掃
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 掃 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To use 扌 a broom 帚; 帚 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 掃
A hand 扌 holding a broom 帚 (zhǒu) means to sweep. Picture your hand gripping the broom handle and pushing dust away.
掃 (sǎo) is the traditional form of 扫 and is used for sweeping, cleaning, and also for quickly scanning with the eyes or a device. A common everyday word is 打掃 (dǎsǎo). Example: 我每天打掃房間。(Wǒ měitiān dǎsǎo fángjiān.) I clean my room every day.
Common mistake: Learners often say 掃帚 (broom) with the third tone, but here 掃 is read sào with a fourth tone: sàozhou. Also do not confuse 帚 with 市 or 布. 帚 has the 彐 shape on top and a 巾 underneath.
Common words with 掃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打掃 | dǎsǎo | to clean; to sweep | HSK 4 |
| 掃描 | sǎomiáo | to scan | HSK 7-9 |
| 掃興 | sǎoxìng | to spoil things; to dampen spirits; to feel deflated; to be dispirited | HSK 7-9 |
| 掃除 | sǎochú | to clean; to clean up; to eliminate; to wipe out | HSK 7-9 |
| 掃墓 | sǎomù | to sweep a grave (and pay one's respects to the dead person) | HSK 7-9 |
| 清掃 | qīngsǎo | to tidy up; to mop up | |
| 掃帚 | sàozhou | broom | |
| 掃蕩 | sǎodàng | (military) to mop up; to crack down on; to eradicate | |
| 掃射 | sǎoshè | to rake with machine gunfire; to strafe | |
| 掃地 | sǎodì | to sweep the floor; (fig.) (of one's reputation etc) to reach rock bottom | |
| 橫掃 | héngsǎo | to sweep away; to sweep across | |
| 掃把 | sàobǎ | broom | |
| 掃描儀 | sǎomiáoyí | scanner (device) | |
| 打掃衛生 | dǎsǎowèishēng | to do the cleaning; to clean up |
Questions about 掃
How many strokes are in 掃?
掃 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 掃 mean?
掃 (sǎo) means to clean, to sweep, to wipe away; to weed out; to wipe out. A common word with it is 打扫 (dǎsǎo), meaning "to clean; to sweep".
How do you pronounce 掃?
掃 is pronounced sǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 掃?
The radical of 掃 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掃 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 掃?
掃 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 扫, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 掃興 (sǎoxìng) mean?
It means to spoil the fun or to feel let down. Literally it is to sweep away someone's good mood, as in 真掃興 (zhēn sǎoxìng), what a letdown.
Can 掃 mean scanning a QR code?
Yes. 掃碼 (sǎomǎ) means to scan a code, and 掃描 (sǎomiáo) means to scan in general. This extends the idea of sweeping your eyes or a device across something.