插 (chā) is a Chinese character meaning “to insert”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 臿 (chā — an old word for a spade or for pounding grain; here the right-hand part of 插), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to insert”
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Structure
扌 + 臿
Left–right structure
- 扌 hand (radical form) · shǒu meaning
- 臿 chā — an old word for a spade or for pounding grain; here the right-hand part of 插 · chā unknown
Structure from: ids-decomposition (现代字形 ⿰扌臿，3+9=12 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺一致)
Memory aid
A hand (扌) pushes the spade-shaped part (臿) down into the ground — to stick something in, to insert.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 插入chā rùto insert; to put in插 = chā
- 插头chā tóuelectrical plug插 = chā
- 插秧chā yāngto transplant rice seedlings插 = chā
Go deeper
All readings
to insert
to insert; to stick in; to plant; to interpose
把细长或片状的东西放进、扎进别的东西里；也指中间加进去。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 插入chā rùto insert; to put in插 = chā
- 插头chā tóuelectrical plug插 = chā
- 插秧chā yāngto transplant rice seedlings插 = chā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 插 mean?
插 (chā) means to insert; to stick in; to plant; to interpose.
How do you pronounce 插?
It is pronounced chā.
What parts is 插 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 臿 (chā — an old word for a spade or for pounding grain; here the right-hand part of 插), side by side. The recorded source is: ids-decomposition (现代字形 ⿰扌臿，3+9=12 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺一致). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 插 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 插?
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 插?
Common ones are 插入, 插头, 插秧. The reading of 插 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.