掴 meaning and stroke order
To slap, to box one's ears
How to write 掴, 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 掴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to slap
- also pr. [guo2]
How 掴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 国 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 掴
The hand radical 扌 on the left shows the action is done by hand, and 国 (guó) on the right gives the sound. Picture a hand swinging out fast to slap someone, with 国 reminding you it sounds like guó or guāi.
掴 is mostly used in the set phrase 掴耳光 or 掴一巴掌, meaning to slap someone across the face. It sounds a bit written or formal, and in everyday speech people more often say 打耳光 (dǎ ěrguāng). Example: 他气得掴了对方一巴掌。(Tā qì de guāi le duìfāng yī bāzhang.) He was so angry he slapped the other person.
Common mistake: Learners often read 掴 as guó because of the phonetic part 国. The standard reading is guāi, though guó is also heard as an accepted alternative. Also do not confuse it with 摑's look-alike 帼 (guó), which has the cloth radical 巾 instead of the hand radical 扌.
掴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 掴
How many strokes are in 掴?
掴 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 掴 mean?
掴 (guāi) means to slap, to box one's ears.
How do you pronounce 掴?
掴 is pronounced guāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 掴?
The radical of 掴 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 掴?
The traditional form of 掴 is 摑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 掴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 掴 pronounced guāi or guó?
The dictionary gives guāi as the main reading, with guó listed as an alternative pronunciation. Both may be heard, but guāi is the safer choice when reading aloud.
What is the difference between 掴 and 打 for slapping?
打 (dǎ) is the general verb for hitting and is what most people say in casual speech, as in 打耳光. 掴 specifically means slapping with an open hand and appears more in writing and set phrases like 掴耳光.