徊 (huái) is a Chinese character meaning “to walk back and forth”. It is written from 彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 回 (to return; to circle back), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to pace back and forth”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
彳 + 回
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（彳3画 + 回6画 = 9画）
Memory aid
Short steps (彳) that keep going in a circle (回) — you walk and walk and end up right back where you started. That is pacing, hesitating, getting nowhere.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 徘徊pái huáito pace back and forth; to linger; to hesitate徊 = huái
Go deeper
All readings
to pace back and forth
to walk back and forth; to linger (only used in the word 徘徊)
来回地走。只用于「徘徊」等少数词中，不单用。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 徘徊pái huáito pace back and forth; to linger; to hesitate徊 = huái
Sound component
回 family rime near
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 徊 mean?
徊 (huái) means to walk back and forth; to linger (only used in the word 徘徊).
How do you pronounce 徊?
It is pronounced huái.
What parts is 徊 made of?
彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 回 (to return; to circle back), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（彳3画 + 回6画 = 9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 徊 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 徊?
彳. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 徊?
Common ones are 徘徊. The reading of 徊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.