拍 (pāi) is a Chinese character meaning “to pat”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 白 (white; plain), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pat; to clap”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 白
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 拍，拊也。从手白聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：扌 3 画 + 白 5 画 = 8 画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) landing flat on something white (白) — the flat smack of a pat.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 拍手pāi shǒuto clap one's hands; to applaud拍 = pāi
- 拍照pāi zhàoto take a photo拍 = pāi
Go deeper
All readings
to pat; to clap
to pat; to clap; to slap lightly; to take (a photo); a beat (in music)
用手掌轻打；也指摄影，或音乐中的节拍。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拍手pāi shǒuto clap one's hands; to applaud拍 = pāi
- 拍照pāi zhàoto take a photo拍 = pāi
Sound component
白 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拍 mean?
拍 (pāi) means to pat; to clap; to slap lightly; to take (a photo); a beat (in music).
How do you pronounce 拍?
It is pronounced pāi.
What parts is 拍 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 白 (white; plain), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 拍，拊也。从手白聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：扌 3 画 + 白 5 画 = 8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拍 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拍?
手. 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 拍?
Common ones are 拍手 and 拍照. The reading of 拍 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.