挎 (kuà) is a Chinese character meaning “to carry (a bag) hanging from the arm or shoulder”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 夸 (to boast; to exaggerate), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to carry on the arm”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 夸
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌 3 画 + 夸 6 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
The hand radical 扌 does the work, and 夸 (kuā) supplies the sound: a hand hooks the strap and you kuà it over your shoulder.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 挎包kuà bāosatchel; shoulder bag挎 = kuà
Go deeper
All readings
to carry on the arm
to carry (a bag) hanging from the arm or shoulder; to link arms
把东西挂在胳膊上或肩上带着；也指用胳膊勾住。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 挎包kuà bāosatchel; shoulder bag挎 = kuà
Sound component
夸 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 挎 mean?
挎 (kuà) means to carry (a bag) hanging from the arm or shoulder; to link arms.
How do you pronounce 挎?
It is pronounced kuà.
What parts is 挎 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 夸 (to boast; to exaggerate), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌 3 画 + 夸 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 挎 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 挎?
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 挎?
Common ones are 挎包. The reading of 挎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.