爪 (zhǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “claw”. It is written from ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇏ (right-falling stroke), and takes 4 strokes. It has a second reading, zhuǎ, which turns up in 爪子 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “claw”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇒ + ㇒ + ㇑ + ㇏
Overlapping structure
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇏ falling-right stroke unknown
Structure from: Unicode U+722A；按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画几何逐笔核对的现代字形笔画拆分（非字源）
Memory aid
A short ㇒ tips over the top, a long ㇒ drops down the left, a straight ㇑ holds the middle and a ㇏ flares out right — four strokes spread like a bird’s foot about to grip.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 爪牙zhǎo yátalons and fangs; (figuratively) a henchman or lackey爪 = zhǎo
- 魔爪mó zhǎothe demon’s claws; (figuratively) evil clutches爪 = zhǎo
Go deeper
All readings
claw
claw; talon; the clawed foot of a bird or animal
鸟兽脚上的尖甲；脚爪。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 爪牙zhǎo yátalons and fangs; (figuratively) a henchman or lackey爪 = zhǎo
- 魔爪mó zhǎothe demon’s claws; (figuratively) evil clutches爪 = zhǎo
paw
paw; claw — the everyday spoken form, used in 爪子
口语读音，指动物的脚，多用于「爪子」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 爪子zhuǎ zipaw (of an animal)爪 = zhuǎ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 爪 mean?
爪 (zhǎo) means claw; talon; the clawed foot of a bird or animal.
How do you pronounce 爪?
Its main reading is zhǎo. It also has a second reading, zhuǎ, which only shows up in certain words such as 爪子 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 爪 sometimes pronounced zhuǎ?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 爪子 it is read zhuǎ.
What parts is 爪 made of?
㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇏ (right-falling stroke). The recorded source is: Unicode U+722A；按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画几何逐笔核对的现代字形笔画拆分（非字源）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 爪 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 爪?
爪. 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 爪?
Common ones are 爪牙 and 魔爪. The reading of 爪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.