拳 (quán) is a Chinese character meaning “fist”. It is written from 龹 (shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese) and 手 (hand), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “fist”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
龹 + 手
Top–bottom structure
- 龹 shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese sound
- 手 hand · shǒu meaning
Structure from: 说文解字（拳，手也。从手，𢍏聲）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱龹手，笔画核验 龹6 + 手4 = 10（hanzi-writer-data）
Memory aid
A hand (手) at the bottom with its fingers curled up tight into the folded 龹 on top: squeeze your hand shut like that and you have a 拳 — a fist.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 打拳dǎ quánto box; to practise martial arts (shadowboxing etc.)拳 = quán
- 太极拳tài jí quántai chi (a Chinese martial art)拳 = quán
- 抡拳lūn quánto swing one's fists拳 = quán
Go deeper
All readings
fist
fist; boxing, a style of unarmed martial arts
拳头，手指向内弯曲握紧的手；也指徒手的武术，如太极拳。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 打拳dǎ quánto box; to practise martial arts (shadowboxing etc.)拳 = quán
- 太极拳tài jí quántai chi (a Chinese martial art)拳 = quán
- 抡拳lūn quánto swing one's fists拳 = quán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拳 mean?
拳 (quán) means fist; boxing, a style of unarmed martial arts.
How do you pronounce 拳?
It is pronounced quán.
What parts is 拳 made of?
龹 (shared upper component of 券 / 卷 / 拳; not an independent character in modern Chinese) and 手 (hand), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（拳，手也。从手，𢍏聲）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱龹手，笔画核验 龹6 + 手4 = 10（hanzi-writer-data）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拳 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拳?
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 拳?
Common ones are 打拳 and 太极拳. The reading of 拳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.