捕 (bǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to catch”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 甫 (fǔ (sound component)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to catch”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 甫
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 捕，取也。从手甫聲; ids-decomposition (⿰扌甫; 3+7 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 10 笔字形逐笔核验一致：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–9 为 甫)
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaches out and grabs the 甫 beside it — and that grabbing hand says: catch.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 捕捉bǔ zhuōto catch; to capture捕 = bǔ
- 逮捕dài bǔto arrest捕 = bǔ
- 捕捞bǔ lāoto fish for; to catch (fish and other aquatic life)捕 = bǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to catch
to catch; to seize; to arrest
捉；逮。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 捕捉bǔ zhuōto catch; to capture捕 = bǔ
- 逮捕dài bǔto arrest捕 = bǔ
- 捕捞bǔ lāoto fish for; to catch (fish and other aquatic life)捕 = bǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 捕 mean?
捕 (bǔ) means to catch; to seize; to arrest.
How do you pronounce 捕?
It is pronounced bǔ.
What parts is 捕 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 甫 (fǔ (sound component)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 捕，取也。从手甫聲; ids-decomposition (⿰扌甫; 3+7 笔与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 10 笔字形逐笔核验一致：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–9 为 甫). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 捕 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 捕?
手. 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 捕?
Common ones are 捕捉, 逮捕, 捕捞. The reading of 捕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.