抓 (zhuā) is a Chinese character meaning “to grab”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 爪 (claw), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to grab, to seize”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 爪
Left–right structure
Structure from: ids-decomposition (⿰扌爪; 3+4 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 7 笔字形逐笔核验一致：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–6 为 爪)
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaching for a claw (爪) — and 爪 is also here for its sound, zhuǎ → zhuā. Your hand closes on the claw: you grab it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to catch抓 = zhuāHSK 4
- 抓紧zhuā jǐnto grasp firmly; to lose no time in doing sth抓 = zhuāHSK 4
Go deeper
All readings
to grab
to grab; to seize; to scratch; to take firm hold of
用手指或爪抓取、握住；也指用指甲搔。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to catch抓 = zhuāHSK 4
- 抓紧zhuā jǐnto grasp firmly; to lose no time in doing sth抓 = zhuāHSK 4
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 抓 mean?
抓 (zhuā) means to grab; to seize; to scratch; to take firm hold of.
How do you pronounce 抓?
It is pronounced zhuā.
What parts is 抓 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 爪 (claw), side by side. The recorded source is: ids-decomposition (⿰扌爪; 3+4 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 7 笔字形逐笔核验一致：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–6 为 爪). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 抓 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 抓?
扌. 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 抓?
Common ones are 抓住 and 抓紧. The reading of 抓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.