括 (kuò) is a Chinese character meaning “to include”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 舌 (tongue), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to include”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 舌
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌3 + 舌6 = 9）；说文解字：括，絜也。从手昏聲（今字右旁作舌）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) gathering things in, next to a tongue (舌) that names them. Everything the hand can grab and the tongue can list is 括 — drawn together, included.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 包括bāo kuòto include; to consist of括 = kuòHSK 4
- 括号kuò hàobrackets; parentheses括 = kuò
Go deeper
All readings
to include
to include; to enclose; to draw together; (in) brackets
把东西收拢、扎起来；引申为包容在内。也指括号。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 包括bāo kuòto include; to consist of括 = kuòHSK 4
- 括号kuò hàobrackets; parentheses括 = kuò
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 括 mean?
括 (kuò) means to include; to enclose; to draw together; (in) brackets.
How do you pronounce 括?
It is pronounced kuò.
What parts is 括 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 舌 (tongue), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌3 + 舌6 = 9）；说文解字：括，絜也。从手昏聲（今字右旁作舌）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 括 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 括?
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 括?
Common ones are 包括 and 括号. The reading of 括 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.