捌 (bā) is a Chinese character meaning “eight — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 八 used on cheques,”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 别 (to separate; other; don’t), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “eight (formal numeral)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 别
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组（0–2 扌，3–9 别）；构形理据未确认，type 留空
Memory aid
A hand (扌) next to 别 ("separate"): the hand counts fingers apart — five on one, three on the other — to make eight. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 捌拾bā shíeighty (formal numerals, as written on cheques)捌 = bā
Go deeper
All readings
eight (formal numeral)
eight — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 八 used on cheques, invoices and contracts
数字「八」的大写，用于票据、合同等防涂改的场合。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 捌拾bā shíeighty (formal numerals, as written on cheques)捌 = bā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 捌 mean?
捌 (bā) means eight — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 八 used on cheques, invoices and contracts.
How do you pronounce 捌?
It is pronounced bā.
What parts is 捌 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 别 (to separate; other; don’t), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组（0–2 扌，3–9 别）；构形理据未确认，type 留空. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 捌 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 捌?
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 捌?
Common ones are 捌拾. The reading of 捌 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.