钞 (chāo) is a Chinese character meaning “paper money”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 少 (few; little), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “paper money”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 少
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（钅 5 画 + 少 4 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
Metal (钅) coins are few (少) in your pocket — so you carry paper money instead.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 钞票chāo piàobanknote; paper money; bill钞 = chāo
- 现钞xiàn chāocash in banknotes钞 = chāo
Go deeper
All readings
banknote
paper money; banknote
纸币；纸做的钱。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 钞票chāo piàobanknote; paper money; bill钞 = chāo
- 现钞xiàn chāocash in banknotes钞 = chāo
Sound component
少 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 钞 mean?
钞 (chāo) means paper money; banknote.
How do you pronounce 钞?
It is pronounced chāo.
What parts is 钞 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 少 (few; little), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（钅 5 画 + 少 4 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 钞 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钞?
钅. 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 钞?
Common ones are 钞票 and 现钞. The reading of 钞 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.