握 meaning and stroke order
To hold; to grasp; to clench (one's fist); (bound form) to have in one's control
How to write 握, 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 握
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to hold; to grasp
- to clench (one's fist)
- (bound form) to have in one's control
- classifier: a handful
How 握 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 屋 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 握
握 is a hand 扌 next to 屋 (wū, house), which gives the sound. Picture your hand gripping the key to your house so tightly you never let it go.
握 means to hold or grip something in your hand, and it often appears in words with a figurative sense of control, like 掌握 (zhǎngwò) and 把握 (bǎwò). The most everyday word is 握手 (wòshǒu). Example: 我们见面时握了握手。(Wǒmen jiànmiàn shí wò le wò shǒu.) We shook hands when we met.
Common mistake: Learners often read 握 as wū because of the phonetic part 屋, but the character is pronounced wò with a falling fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 屋 itself, which lacks the hand radical and means house or room.
Common words with 握
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
握 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 握
How many strokes are in 握?
握 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 握 mean?
握 (wò) means to hold; to grasp; to clench (one's fist); (bound form) to have in one's control. A common word with it is 把握 (bǎwò), meaning "to grasp (also fig.); to seize".
How do you pronounce 握?
握 is pronounced wò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 握?
The radical of 握 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 握 under this radical.
Is 握 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 握 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.
What is the difference between 掌握 and 把握?
掌握 (zhǎngwò) usually means to master or command something, like a skill or knowledge: 掌握中文. 把握 (bǎwò) means to seize an opportunity, and as a noun it means certainty or confidence: 我没有把握 means I am not sure I can do it.
Can 握 be used as a measure word?
Yes. As a classifier it means a handful, as in 一握沙子 (yì wò shāzi), a handful of sand. This use is mostly literary, and in speech people more often say 一把 (yì bǎ).