搔 meaning and stroke order
To scratch
How to write 搔, 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 搔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to scratch
- old variant of 騷|骚[sao1]
How 搔 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To scratch 扌 a flea bite 蚤; 蚤 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 搔
The hand 扌 goes after a flea 蚤 (zǎo). When a flea bites, your hand scratches, and 蚤 also hints at the sound sāo.
搔 is a written or set-phrase word. In everyday speech people usually say 挠 (náo) or 抓 (zhuā) for scratching an itch. A famous idiom is 搔首弄姿 (sāo shǒu nòng zī), "to strike coquettish poses." Another is 隔靴搔痒 (gé xuē sāo yǎng), "scratching an itch through a boot," meaning an effort that misses the real point.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 搔 with 骚 (sāo, disturbance, flirtatious) because they sound the same and share 蚤. Use the hand radical 扌 for the physical action of scratching, and the horse radical 马 for 骚扰 (sāoräo) and similar words.
搔 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 搔
How many strokes are in 搔?
搔 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 搔 mean?
搔 (sāo) means to scratch.
How do you pronounce 搔?
搔 is pronounced sāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 搔?
The radical of 搔 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 搔 under this radical.
What does 隔靴搔痒 mean?
It literally means scratching an itch from outside your boot. It describes an action or comment that does not reach the real problem, like vague criticism that misses the point.
Is 搔 the same as 挠?
Both mean to scratch, but 挠 (náo) is far more common in spoken Mandarin, as in 挠痒痒 (náo yǎngyang). 搔 appears mostly in idioms and literary writing.