排 (pái) is a Chinese character meaning “to arrange”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 非 (not; non-), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to arrange; to line up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 非
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 排，擠也。从手非聲；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌3 + 非8 = 11 笔）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) beside 非, whose two rows of strokes stand in neat lines. Your hand puts things into rows like that: 排, to arrange or line up.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 排队pái duìto line up; to queue排 = pái
- 安排ān páito arrange; to plan; arrangements排 = pái
- 排斥pái chìto reject; to exclude; to repel排 = pái
Go deeper
All readings
to arrange; row
to arrange; to put in order; to line up; a row; a line
按次序摆放、安排；也指排成的行列。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 排队pái duìto line up; to queue排 = pái
- 安排ān páito arrange; to plan; arrangements排 = pái
- 排斥pái chìto reject; to exclude; to repel排 = pái
Sound component
非 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 排 mean?
排 (pái) means to arrange; to put in order; to line up; a row; a line.
How do you pronounce 排?
It is pronounced pái.
What parts is 排 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 非 (not; non-), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 排，擠也。从手非聲；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（扌3 + 非8 = 11 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 排 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 排?
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 排?
Common ones are 排队 and 安排. The reading of 排 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.