押 (yā) is a Chinese character meaning “to leave something as security, to pawn or mortgage”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 甲 (shell; armour; first of the ten heavenly stems), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pledge; to hold as security”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 甲
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 甲5画 = 8画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) pressing down on a hard shell (甲). Whatever you press your hand onto is held down and kept — that is what you leave behind as security. 甲 is also the sound part here, though the two readings have drifted far apart: 甲 jiǎ, 押 yā.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 押金yā jīndeposit (refundable)押 = yā
- 抵押dǐ yāto mortgage; to pledge as collateral押 = yā
Go deeper
All readings
to pledge; to detain
to leave something as security, to pawn or mortgage; to detain or hold in custody; to escort under guard
把财物交出去作为保证；也指拘留、看管或押送。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 押金yā jīndeposit (refundable)押 = yā
- 抵押dǐ yāto mortgage; to pledge as collateral押 = yā
Sound component
甲 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 押 mean?
押 (yā) means to leave something as security, to pawn or mortgage; to detain or hold in custody; to escort under guard.
How do you pronounce 押?
It is pronounced yā.
What parts is 押 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 甲 (shell; armour; first of the ten heavenly stems), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 甲5画 = 8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 押 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 押?
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 押?
Common ones are 押金 and 抵押. The reading of 押 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.