抓 meaning in English

zhuā

to grab; to catch

HSK 3verb7 strokes

Meaning of 抓

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zhuā

to grab
to catch
to arrest
to snatch
to scratch

How to use 抓

抓 is an everyday verb for grabbing an object, catching a person or animal, or scratching an itch. It also means to focus on or seize something abstract, as in 抓紧时间 (zhuājǐn shíjiān, hurry up). Example: 警察抓住了小偷。(Jǐngchá zhuāzhù le xiǎotōu.) The police caught the thief.

抓 combines the hand radical 扌 with 爪 (zhǎo), a claw. A hand that acts like a claw is grabbing or scratching something.

Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 瓜 (guā, melon) because the shapes are close. 爪 has no inner hook stroke, while 瓜 does. Also keep the first tone in zhuā, and do not confuse it with 爪 zhǎo, which is third tone.

抓 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

老lǎo实shí说shuō，我wǒ们men是shì来lái抓zhuā你nǐ的de。

To be honest, we came to capture you.

他tā们men会huì尽jǐn可kě能néng地dì抓zhuā更gèng多duō的de人rén。

They would capture as many people as possible.

我wǒ不bù能néng让ràng他tā们men抓zhuā到dào我wǒ。

I can't let them catch me.

我wǒ抓zhuā到dào了le这zhè个ge男nán人rén正zhèng在zài偷tōu钱qián。

I caught the man stealing the money.

我wǒ们men一yì直zhí抓zhuā不bú住zhù他tā。

We were never able to capture him.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

抓 zhuā · to grab · 7 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 抓.

抓住	zhuāzhù	to grab hold of; to capture
抓紧	zhuājǐn	to keep a firm grip on; to pay close attention to
抓走	zhuāzǒu	to arrest
抓狂	zhuākuáng	(coll.) to be driven crazy (with frustration, stress, anger etc); to tear one's hair out;
抓紧时间	zhuājǐnshíjiān	to waste no time in (doing sth); to hurry up
抓捕	zhuābǔ	to seize; to capture
抓获	zhuāhuò	to arrest
抓伤	zhuāshāng	to injure by scratching or clawing
抓贼	zhuāzéi	to catch a thief

Questions about 抓

What does 抓 mean?

抓 (zhuā) means "to grab; to catch" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 抓?

抓 is made of 1 character: 抓 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.

Is 抓 an HSK word?

Yes. 抓 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 抓 and 拿?

拿 (ná) is neutral and means to take or hold something. 抓 suggests a quick, firm grab, often with the fingers closing tightly, or catching something that might get away.

What does 抓狂 mean in casual speech?

抓狂 (zhuākuáng) means to be driven crazy by stress or frustration, like tearing your hair out. For example, 这个作业让我抓狂。(Zhège zuòyè ràng wǒ zhuākuáng.) This homework is driving me crazy.