驾 (jià) is a Chinese character meaning “to drive (a vehicle)”. It is written from 加 (to add; to increase) and 马 (horse), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to drive”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
加 + 马
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 駕，馬在軛中也。从馬加聲
Memory aid
Add (加) something on top of a horse (马) — a rider takes the reins and drives.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 驾驶jià shǐto drive; to pilot驾 = jià
- 劳驾láo jiàexcuse me; may I trouble you驾 = jià
Go deeper
All readings
to drive
to drive (a vehicle); to harness; to pilot
驱使车马；操纵车、船、飞机等交通工具。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 驾驶jià shǐto drive; to pilot驾 = jià
- 劳驾láo jiàexcuse me; may I trouble you驾 = jià
Sound component
加 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 驾 mean?
驾 (jià) means to drive (a vehicle); to harness; to pilot.
How do you pronounce 驾?
It is pronounced jià.
What parts is 驾 made of?
加 (to add; to increase) and 马 (horse), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 駕，馬在軛中也。从馬加聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 驾 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 驾?
马. 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 驾?
Common ones are 驾驶 and 劳驾. The reading of 驾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.