拆 (chāi) is a Chinese character meaning “to take apart”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 斥 (to rebuke; to drive away), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to take apart”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 斥
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 斥5画 = 8画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) meets 斥, which means to drive something away. The hand drives the pieces apart — it takes the thing apart.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 拆开chāi kāito take apart; to tear open; to dismantle拆 = chāi
- 拆迁chāi qiānto demolish buildings and relocate the residents拆 = chāi
Go deeper
All readings
to take apart
to take apart; to tear open; to pull down; to dismantle
把合在一起的东西分开；把建筑物等拆毁。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拆开chāi kāito take apart; to tear open; to dismantle拆 = chāi
- 拆迁chāi qiānto demolish buildings and relocate the residents拆 = chāi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拆 mean?
拆 (chāi) means to take apart; to tear open; to pull down; to dismantle.
How do you pronounce 拆?
It is pronounced chāi.
What parts is 拆 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 斥 (to rebuke; to drive away), 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 + 斥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 拆 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拆?
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 拆?
Common ones are 拆开 and 拆迁. The reading of 拆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.