礤 meaning and stroke order
Shredder, grater; grindstone
How to write 礤, stroke by stroke
19 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 礤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shredder
- grater (kitchen implement for grating vegetables)
- grindstone
How 礤 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Stone.
石 gives the meaning and 蔡 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 礤
On the left is 石 (shí, stone), for a rough stone surface that grinds things down. On the right is 蔡 (cài), which gives the sound and looks like 菜 (cài, vegetable), so picture rubbing vegetables on a rough stone.
礤 is rarely used alone. It mostly appears in 礤床儿 (cǎchuángr), the kitchen grater used in northern China to shred potatoes, radishes and carrots. Example: 用礤床儿把土豆擦成丝。(Yòng cǎchuángr bǎ tǔdòu cāchéng sī.) Use the grater to shred the potatoes.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 菜 (cài) because the two look alike. The phonetic part is 蔡, which has 祭 under the grass top, not 采. Also, do not confuse 礤 (cǎ, third tone) with the verb 擦 (cā, first tone, to rub or grate), even though the two often appear together.
Questions about 礤
How many strokes are in 礤?
礤 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 礤 mean?
礤 (cǎ) means shredder, grater; grindstone.
How do you pronounce 礤?
礤 is pronounced cǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 礤?
The radical of 礤 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 礤 under this radical.
What is the difference between 礤 and 擦?
擦 (cā) is the common verb meaning to rub, wipe or grate. 礤 (cǎ) is a noun for the grating tool or a grindstone. You 擦 vegetables on a 礤床儿.
Is 礤 a common character?
No, it is quite rare. Most speakers only meet it in the word 礤床儿. Many people just say 擦子 (cāzi) or 刨丝器 (bàosīqì) for a grater instead.