趴 (pā) is a Chinese character meaning “to lie prone”. It is written from 足 (foot; leg) and 八 (eight), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to lie face-down”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
足 + 八
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰足八，左侧作偏旁 ⻊；笔画核验 足7 + 八2 = 9）
Memory aid
On the left the foot-and-leg part 足, on the right 八 — two strokes splaying apart. Legs splayed flat on the ground: you are lying face-down.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 趴下pā xiàto lie down flat; to drop face-down趴 = pā
- 趴着pā zheto be lying face-down趴 = pā
Go deeper
All readings
to lie face-down
to lie prone; to lie face-down; to bend forward over something
胸腹朝下伏在地面、桌面等上面；身体向前伏下。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 趴下pā xiàto lie down flat; to drop face-down趴 = pā
- 趴着pā zheto be lying face-down趴 = pā
Sound component
八 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 趴 mean?
趴 (pā) means to lie prone; to lie face-down; to bend forward over something.
How do you pronounce 趴?
It is pronounced pā.
What parts is 趴 made of?
足 (foot; leg) and 八 (eight), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰足八，左侧作偏旁 ⻊；笔画核验 足7 + 八2 = 9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 趴 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 趴?
足. 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 趴?
Common ones are 趴下 and 趴着. The reading of 趴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.