采 (cǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “to pick”. It is written from 爫 (claw; a hand reaching down from above) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pick; to gather”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
爫 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·木部：采，捋取也。从木从爪
Memory aid
A hand reaching down from above (爫) onto a tree (木): you are up in the branches picking what you want.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 采用cǎi yòngto adopt; to use; to employ (a method, plan or material)采 = cǎi
- 开采kāi cǎito mine; to extract (ore, coal, oil)采 = cǎi
Go deeper
All readings
to pick; to gather
to pick; to pluck; to gather; to select and take up (a method, an opinion); to extract (ore)
摘取、搜集；也指选取并使用某种方法或意见，或把矿物挖掘出来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 采用cǎi yòngto adopt; to use; to employ (a method, plan or material)采 = cǎi
- 开采kāi cǎito mine; to extract (ore, coal, oil)采 = cǎi
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi glosses 采 as "to pluck off" and analyses it as 爪 ("hand, claw") over 木 ("tree"). The modern form keeps that picture: the clawing hand is written 爫 on top of the tree.
Source: 说文解字·木部：采，捋取也。从木从爪
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 采 mean?
采 (cǎi) means to pick; to pluck; to gather; to select and take up (a method, an opinion); to extract (ore).
How do you pronounce 采?
It is pronounced cǎi.
What parts is 采 made of?
爫 (claw; a hand reaching down from above) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·木部：采，捋取也。从木从爪. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 采 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 采?
釆. 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 采?
Common ones are 采用 and 开采. The reading of 采 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.