拨 (bō) is a Chinese character meaning “to push or move something aside with a hand or stick”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to move with the hand; to dial”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 发
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌发；笔画核验 扌3 + 发5 = 8）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) gives something a flick and sends it off (发) — a finger on a dial, a stick pushing coals aside.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 拨打bō dǎto dial (a phone number); to place a call拨 = bō
- 拨款bō kuǎnto allocate funds; an appropriation of money拨 = bō
Go deeper
All readings
to move with the hand; to dial
to push or move something aside with a hand or stick; to dial (a number); to turn (a dial); to allocate (funds)
用手或棍子推动、挑动东西；转动拨号盘或按键打电话；也指调配、分给款项。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拨打bō dǎto dial (a phone number); to place a call拨 = bō
- 拨款bō kuǎnto allocate funds; an appropriation of money拨 = bō
Sound component
发 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拨 mean?
拨 (bō) means to push or move something aside with a hand or stick; to dial (a number); to turn (a dial); to allocate (funds).
How do you pronounce 拨?
It is pronounced bō.
What parts is 拨 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 发 (to send out; to issue (simplified form of 發/髮)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌发；笔画核验 扌3 + 发5 = 8）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拨 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拨?
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 拨?
Common ones are 拨打 and 拨款. The reading of 拨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.