挖 (wā) is a Chinese character meaning “to dig”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 穴 (cave; hole) and 乙 (second Heavenly Stem), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to dig”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 穴 + 乙
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 与 扌 逐笔对应，笔画 4–9 与 穵（⿱穴乙）逐笔对应
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaches into a cave (穴) and pulls something out with one curling stroke (乙) — that is digging.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 挖掘wā juéto excavate; to dig out; to unearth挖 = wā
- 挖苦wā kǔto speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks挖 = wā
Go deeper
All readings
to dig
to dig; to scoop out; to hollow out
用手或工具从物体表面向里用力取出东西；掏、挖空。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 挖掘wā juéto excavate; to dig out; to unearth挖 = wā
- 挖苦wā kǔto speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks挖 = wā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 挖 mean?
挖 (wā) means to dig; to scoop out; to hollow out.
How do you pronounce 挖?
It is pronounced wā.
What parts is 挖 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 穴 (cave; hole) and 乙 (second Heavenly Stem), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 与 扌 逐笔对应，笔画 4–9 与 穵（⿱穴乙）逐笔对应. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 挖 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 挖?
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 挖?
Common ones are 挖掘 and 挖苦. The reading of 挖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.