刷 (shuā) is a Chinese character meaning “to brush, to scrub”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 巾 (cloth) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to brush”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 巾 + 刂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-5 巾 / 6-7 刂）
Memory aid
A cloth (巾) tucked under the leaning cover (尸), with the knife-edge (刂) standing on the right: grip the cloth and scrape back and forth — that is brushing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 刷牙shuā yáto brush one's teeth刷 = shuā
- 印刷yìn shuāto print; printing刷 = shuā
Go deeper
All readings
to brush; a brush
to brush, to scrub; to paint on with a brush; a brush
用刷子清除或涂抹；也指刷子这类工具。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 刷牙shuā yáto brush one's teeth刷 = shuā
- 印刷yìn shuāto print; printing刷 = shuā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 刷 mean?
刷 (shuā) means to brush, to scrub; to paint on with a brush; a brush.
How do you pronounce 刷?
It is pronounced shuā.
What parts is 刷 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 巾 (cloth) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-5 巾 / 6-7 刂）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 刷 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 刷?
刂. 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 刷?
Common ones are 刷牙 and 印刷. The reading of 刷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.