爪 meaning and stroke order
Claws, nails, talons
How to write 爪, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 爪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- foot of a bird or animal
- paw
- claws
- talons
- (coll.) foot of an animal or bird
- (coll.) foot supporting a cooking pot etc
How 爪 is built
Pictographic character. A bird's talons.
How to remember 爪
爪 is a pictograph of a bird's talons. Picture the top stroke as the back of a foot and the three hanging strokes as sharp claws pointing down, ready to grab.
In everyday speech the colloquial reading zhuǎ is common, especially in 爪子 (zhuǎzi), while zhǎo appears in more formal or literary words like 爪牙 and 魔爪. Example: 小猫用爪子抓我。(Xiǎo māo yòng zhuǎzi zhuā wǒ.) The kitten scratched me with its claws.
Common mistake: Learners often say zhǎozi for 爪子, but the standard spoken form is zhuǎzi. Also do not confuse 爪 with 瓜 (guā, melon), which has an extra small stroke inside.
Common words with 爪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爪子 | zhuǎzi | (animal's) claw | HSK 7-9 |
| 爪牙 | zhǎoyá | pawn; lackey | |
| 魔爪 | Mózhǎo | evil clutches; claws |
爪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 爪
Learning 爪 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 爪
How many strokes are in 爪?
爪 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 爪 mean?
爪 (zhǎo) means claws, nails, talons. A common word with it is 爪子 (zhuǎzi), meaning "(animal's) claw".
How do you pronounce 爪?
爪 is pronounced zhǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 爪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 爪 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 爪 look different at the top of characters like 采 and 爱?
When 爪 sits on top of another component it is usually squashed into the form 爫. You can see it in 采 (cǎi, to pick) and 爱 (ài, love), where it suggests a hand reaching down.
What does 爪牙 mean when talking about people?
Literally it is claws and teeth, but about people it means henchmen or lackeys who do a bad person's dirty work. It is strongly negative, so do not use it for ordinary helpers or assistants.