揩 (kāi) is a Chinese character meaning “to wipe”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 皆 (all; each), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to wipe”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 皆
Left–right structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi dictionary.txt（⿰扌皆，形声：扌表义、皆表音）；cjkvi-ids ⿰扌皆；对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌 0–2，皆 3–11）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) wipes across all (皆) of the table — every bit gets rubbed clean.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 揩油kāi yóuto take petty advantage; to skim off gains at others' expense (lit. to wipe off oil)揩 = kāi
- 揩拭kāi shìto wipe clean揩 = kāi
Go deeper
All readings
to wipe
to wipe; to rub clean
擦；抹。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 揩油kāi yóuto take petty advantage; to skim off gains at others' expense (lit. to wipe off oil)揩 = kāi
- 揩拭kāi shìto wipe clean揩 = kāi
Sound component
皆 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 揩 mean?
揩 (kāi) means to wipe; to rub clean.
How do you pronounce 揩?
It is pronounced kāi.
What parts is 揩 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 皆 (all; each), side by side. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi dictionary.txt（⿰扌皆，形声：扌表义、皆表音）；cjkvi-ids ⿰扌皆；对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌 0–2，皆 3–11）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 揩 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 揩?
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 揩?
Common ones are 揩油 and 揩拭. The reading of 揩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.