抄 (chāo) is a Chinese character meaning “to copy out by hand”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 少 (few; little), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to copy out by hand”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 少
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌 3 画 + 少 4 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) writing out something it owns very little (少) of — you copy it down before it runs out.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 抄写chāo xiěto copy out by hand; to transcribe抄 = chāo
Go deeper
All readings
to copy
to copy out by hand; to transcribe; to plagiarize; to take a shortcut
照着原文写下来；也指抄袭，或走近路。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 抄写chāo xiěto copy out by hand; to transcribe抄 = 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 抄 mean?
抄 (chāo) means to copy out by hand; to transcribe; to plagiarize; to take a shortcut.
How do you pronounce 抄?
It is pronounced chāo.
What parts is 抄 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 少 (few; little), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌 3 画 + 少 4 画 = 7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 抄 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 抄?
扌. 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 抄?
Common ones are 抄写. The reading of 抄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.