拴 (shuān) is a Chinese character meaning “to tie up with a rope”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 全 (complete; whole; entire), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to tie; to fasten”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 全
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 全6画 = 9画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) loops the rope all the way around (全) — tied, and nothing can get loose.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 拴住shuān zhùto tie up; to fasten in place拴 = shuān
- 拴上shuān shàngto tie on; to fasten (a rope, a latch)拴 = shuān
Go deeper
All readings
to tie; to fasten
to tie up with a rope; to fasten or tether something so it cannot move away
用绳子把东西系住、拴牢，使它不能移动或走开。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拴住shuān zhùto tie up; to fasten in place拴 = shuān
- 拴上shuān shàngto tie on; to fasten (a rope, a latch)拴 = shuān
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拴 mean?
拴 (shuān) means to tie up with a rope; to fasten or tether something so it cannot move away.
How do you pronounce 拴?
It is pronounced shuān.
What parts is 拴 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 全 (complete; whole; entire), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 全6画 = 9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拴 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拴?
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 拴?
Common ones are 拴住 and 拴上. The reading of 拴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.