搔 (sāo) is a Chinese character meaning “to scratch (with fingernails)”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 蚤 (flea), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to scratch”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 蚤
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 搔，括也。从手，蚤声
Memory aid
A hand (扌) goes after a flea (蚤) bite — that is what it means to scratch.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 搔痒sāo yǎngto scratch an itch搔 = sāo
Questions people ask about this character
What does 搔 mean?
搔 (sāo) means to scratch (with fingernails).
How do you pronounce 搔?
It is pronounced sāo.
What parts is 搔 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 蚤 (flea), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 搔，括也。从手，蚤声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 搔 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 搔?
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 搔?
Common ones are 搔痒. The reading of 搔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.