爬 meaning and stroke order
To crawl; to climb; to get up or sit up
How to write 爬, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 爬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to crawl
- to climb
- to get up or sit up
How 爬 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Claw.
爪 gives the meaning and 巴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 爪 (claws), shared by 2 characters on this site.
How to remember 爬
爬 is built from 爪 (zhǎo, claw) plus 巴 (bā), which gives the sound. Picture using your claws to grip and pull yourself up, and 巴 tells you it sounds like bā turned into pá.
爬 means moving with hands and feet or going upward, used for babies crawling, bugs creeping, and people climbing. The most common word is 爬山 (pá shān), which usually means going hiking in the hills. Example: 周末我们去爬山吧。(Zhōumò wǒmen qù pá shān ba.) Let's go hiking this weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 瓜 (guā) or 爫, but in 爬 the full 爪 wraps around and under 巴, with its last stroke extending beneath. Also keep the second tone pá, not first tone pā like 趴 (pā, to lie on one's stomach).
Common words with 爬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
爬 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 爬
How many strokes are in 爬?
爬 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 爬 mean?
爬 (pá) means to crawl; to climb; to get up or sit up. A common word with it is 爬山 (pá shān), meaning "to go for a hike (esp. in the hills or mountains)".
How do you pronounce 爬?
爬 is pronounced pá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 爬?
The radical of 爬 is 爪, which carries the idea of "claws". Dictionaries list 爬 under this radical.
Is 爬 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 爬 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 爬 (pá) and 趴 (pā)?
爬 is about moving, such as crawling or climbing. 趴 means to lie face down or lean over something without moving, as in 趴在桌子上 (pā zài zhuōzi shang), to lean face down on the desk.
Can 爬 mean to get up from bed?
Yes. 爬起来 (pá qǐlai) means to get up or sit up, often with effort, as in 他从床上爬起来 (tā cóng chuáng shang pá qǐlai), he dragged himself out of bed.