择 (zé) is a Chinese character meaning “to choose”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 又 (again) and 干 (dry), side by side, and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, zhái, which turns up in 择菜 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to choose”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 又 + 干
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字形 8 画：扌3 + 又2 + 干3）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) goes back again and again (又) along a row of dry poles (干), picking out the one it wants. All three parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 选择xuǎn zéto choose; choice择 = zéHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
to choose
to choose; to select; to pick out
挑选；从若干对象里选取合适的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 选择xuǎn zéto choose; choice择 = zéHSK 3
to pick over (colloquial)
colloquial reading: to pick over, sort or trim something by hand
口语读音：用手挑拣、整理，如择菜。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 择菜zhái càito trim and sort vegetables before cooking择 = zhái
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 择 mean?
择 (zé) means to choose; to select; to pick out.
How do you pronounce 择?
Its main reading is zé. It also has a second reading, zhái, which only shows up in certain words such as 择菜 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 择 sometimes pronounced zhái?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 择菜 it is read zhái.
What parts is 择 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 又 (again) and 干 (dry), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字形 8 画：扌3 + 又2 + 干3）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 择 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 择?
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 择?
Common ones are 选择. The reading of 择 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.