搓 (cuō) is a Chinese character meaning “to rub or roll between the hands”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 差 (to differ; poor; to lack), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to rub (between the hands)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 差
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS (cjkvi-ids): ⿰扌差（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：扌 3 画 + 差 9 画 = 12 画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) working at something uneven (差) — rubbing back and forth between the palms until it is smooth.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 搓手cuō shǒuto rub one's hands together搓 = cuō
- 搓澡cuō zǎoto scrub oneself down (in a bath)搓 = cuō
- 揉搓róu cuōto rub; to knead搓 = cuō
Go deeper
All readings
to rub (between the hands)
to rub or roll between the hands; to twist (a rope) by rubbing
两个手掌反复摩擦，或把东西放在手掌中来回揉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 搓手cuō shǒuto rub one's hands together搓 = cuō
- 搓澡cuō zǎoto scrub oneself down (in a bath)搓 = cuō
- 揉搓róu cuōto rub; to knead搓 = cuō
Sound component
差 family
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 搓 mean?
搓 (cuō) means to rub or roll between the hands; to twist (a rope) by rubbing.
How do you pronounce 搓?
It is pronounced cuō.
What parts is 搓 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 差 (to differ; poor; to lack), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS (cjkvi-ids): ⿰扌差（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：扌 3 画 + 差 9 画 = 12 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 搓 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 搓?
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 搓?
Common ones are 搓手 and 搓澡. The reading of 搓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.