徘 (pái) is a Chinese character meaning “to walk back and forth”. It is written from 彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 非 (not; non-), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to pace back and forth”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
彳 + 非
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（彳3画 + 非8画 = 11画）
Memory aid
Short steps (彳) walking between two rows that face apart (非) — you step to one side, then the other, back and forth without deciding. That is pacing and hesitating.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 徘徊pái huáito pace back and forth; to linger; to hesitate徘 = pái
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徘 = pái
Sound component
非 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 徘 mean?
徘 (pái) means to walk back and forth; to linger (only used in the word 徘徊).
How do you pronounce 徘?
It is pronounced pái.
What parts is 徘 made of?
彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 非 (not; non-), 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 + 非8画 = 11画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 徘 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 徘?
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 徘?
Common ones are 徘徊. The reading of 徘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.