接 (jiē) is a Chinese character meaning “to receive”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 妾 (concubine; (historically) female servant), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to receive; to connect”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 妾
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 接，交也。从手，妾声 (现代字形 ⿰扌妾，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–10 核验)
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaches out to the servant (妾) and takes what she hands over — to receive, to meet, to connect.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 接受jiē shòuto accept接 = jiē
- 迎接yíng jiēto greet; to go out and meet (someone arriving)接 = jiē
- 连接lián jiēto connect; to join; to link接 = jiē
- 接纳jiē nàto accept; to admit (someone into a group)接 = jiē
- 间接jiàn jiēindirect; indirectly接 = jiēHSK 4
- 接着jiē zhenext; then; to carry on接 = jiē
- 焊接hàn jiēto weld; welding接 = jiē
- 衔接xián jiēto link up; to join; to connect接 = jiē
Go deeper
All readings
to receive; to connect
to receive; to meet; to connect; to catch; to take over
收下、迎接；使连在一起；承接、接替。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 接受jiē shòuto accept接 = jiē
- 迎接yíng jiēto greet; to go out and meet (someone arriving)接 = jiē
- 连接lián jiēto connect; to join; to link接 = jiē
- 接纳jiē nàto accept; to admit (someone into a group)接 = jiē
- 间接jiàn jiēindirect; indirectly接 = jiēHSK 4
- 接着jiē zhenext; then; to carry on接 = jiē
- 焊接hàn jiēto weld; welding接 = jiē
- 衔接xián jiēto link up; to join; to connect接 = jiē
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 接 mean?
接 (jiē) means to receive; to meet; to connect; to catch; to take over.
How do you pronounce 接?
It is pronounced jiē.
What parts is 接 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 妾 (concubine; (historically) female servant), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 接，交也。从手，妾声 (现代字形 ⿰扌妾，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–10 核验). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 接 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 接?
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 接?
Common ones are 接受, 迎接, 连接. The reading of 接 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.