掌 meaning and stroke order
In charge; the palm of the hand, the sole of the foot
How to write 掌, stroke by stroke
12 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 掌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- palm of the hand
- sole of the foot
- paw
- horseshoe
- to slap
- to hold in one's hand
How 掌 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
手 gives the meaning and 尚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 手 (hand), shared by 23 characters on this site.
How to remember 掌
掌 is built from 尚 (shàng) on top and 手 (shǒu, hand) below. The hand at the bottom gives the meaning "palm," and 尚 hints at the sound, so picture an open hand holding something up.
掌 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It appears in words about the palm, like 手掌 (shǒuzhǎng), and in words about control, like 掌握 (zhǎngwò) and 掌管 (zhǎngguǎn). Example: 他很快掌握了这门技术。(Tā hěn kuài zhǎngwò le zhè mén jìshù.) He quickly mastered this skill.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 掌 with 堂 (táng, hall) and 常 (cháng, often), which share the same top part. Only 掌 has 手 at the bottom, and its tone is third tone, zhǎng, not second.
Common words with 掌
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 掌握 | zhǎngwò | to grasp (often fig.); to control | HSK 5 |
| 鼓掌 | gǔzhǎng | to applaud; to clap | HSK 5 |
| 掌声 | zhǎngshēng | applause | HSK 6 |
| 掌管 | zhǎngguǎn | in charge of; to control | HSK 7-9 |
| 手掌 | shǒuzhǎng | palm | HSK 7-9 |
| 掌控 | zhǎngkòng | to control; in control of | |
| 了如指掌 | liǎorúzhǐzhǎng | to know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom); to know (a person, a place etc) inside ou | |
| 掌权 | zhǎngquán | to wield (political etc) power; be in power | |
| 击掌 | jīzhǎng | to clap one's hands; to clap each other's hands | |
| 仙人掌 | xiānrénzhǎng | cactus | |
| 巴掌 | bāzhang | palm of the hand; classifier: slap | |
| 易如反掌 | yìrúfǎnzhǎng | easy as a hand's turn (idiom); very easy; no effort at all | |
| 掌舵 | zhǎngduò | to steer (a ship) | |
| 掌门 | zhǎngmén | sect leader (often in wuxia 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2] fiction) |
掌 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 掌
Learning 掌 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 掌
How many strokes are in 掌?
掌 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 掌 mean?
掌 (zhǎng) means in charge; the palm of the hand, the sole of the foot. A common word with it is 掌握 (zhǎngwò), meaning "to grasp (often fig.); to control".
How do you pronounce 掌?
掌 is pronounced zhǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 掌?
The radical of 掌 is 手, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掌 under this radical.
Is 掌 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 掌 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Is 掌 related to 长 (zhǎng) in 校长?
No. They share the pronunciation zhǎng, but 长 here means "head" or "chief." 掌 means palm or to control, as in 掌权 (zhǎngquán), to hold power.
How do you say "to clap" or "applause" with 掌?
鼓掌 (gǔzhǎng) is the verb "to clap," and 掌声 (zhǎngshēng) is the noun "applause." For example, 大家鼓掌欢迎他 (dàjiā gǔzhǎng huānyíng tā) means everyone clapped to welcome him.