拔 (bá) is a Chinese character meaning “to pull out”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 犮 (phonetic component read bá), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pull out”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 犮
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌犮；笔画核验 扌3 + 犮5 = 8，对照 hanzi-writer-data）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) takes hold of 犮 (bá) and yanks it straight out — the hand tells you what happens, 犮 tells you it sounds like bá.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 拔牙bá yáto pull out a tooth拔 = bá
- 拔出bá chūto pull out; to draw out拔 = bá
Go deeper
All readings
to pull out
to pull out; to pull up; to draw (a weapon); to choose, to select
把固定着或藏着的东西往外拉出来；也指从中挑选出来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拔牙bá yáto pull out a tooth拔 = bá
- 拔出bá chūto pull out; to draw out拔 = bá
Sound component
犮 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拔 mean?
拔 (bá) means to pull out; to pull up; to draw (a weapon); to choose, to select.
How do you pronounce 拔?
It is pronounced bá.
What parts is 拔 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 犮 (phonetic component read bá), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌犮；笔画核验 扌3 + 犮5 = 8，对照 hanzi-writer-data）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拔 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拔?
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 拔?
Common ones are 拔牙 and 拔出. The reading of 拔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.