挥 (huī) is a Chinese character meaning “to wave”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 军 (army; troops; military), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to wave; to wield”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 军
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 军6画 = 9画）；声符依据《说文解字》：揮，奮也。从手軍聲
Memory aid
A hand (扌) in front of an army (军): the arm sweeps through the air and the troops move.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 挥手huī shǒuto wave one's hand; to wave (goodbye)挥 = huī
- 指挥zhǐ huīto direct; to command; a conductor (of an orchestra)挥 = huī
Go deeper
All readings
to wave; to wield
to wave; to wield; to swing (an arm or a tool); to command troops; to scatter or wipe away
舞动、摇动手臂或手里的东西；也表示指挥、散开。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 挥手huī shǒuto wave one's hand; to wave (goodbye)挥 = huī
- 指挥zhǐ huīto direct; to command; a conductor (of an orchestra)挥 = huī
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 挥 mean?
挥 (huī) means to wave; to wield; to swing (an arm or a tool); to command troops; to scatter or wipe away.
How do you pronounce 挥?
It is pronounced huī.
What parts is 挥 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 军 (army; troops; military), 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 + 军6画 = 9画）；声符依据《说文解字》：揮，奮也。从手軍聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 挥 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 挥?
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 挥?
Common ones are 挥手 and 指挥. The reading of 挥 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.