掘 (jué) is a Chinese character meaning “to dig”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 屈 (to bend; to yield), side by side, and takes 11 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 + 屈
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 与 扌 逐笔对应，笔画 4–11 与 屈（⿸尸出）逐笔对应
Memory aid
A hand (扌) beside 屈 "bend": you bend down and use your hand to dig something out.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 挖掘wā juéto excavate; to dig out; to unearth掘 = jué
- 发掘fā juéto excavate; to unearth; to discover (talent, potential)掘 = jué
Go deeper
All readings
to dig
to dig; to excavate; to dig out
刨；挖。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 挖掘wā juéto excavate; to dig out; to unearth掘 = jué
- 发掘fā juéto excavate; to unearth; to discover (talent, potential)掘 = jué
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 掘 mean?
掘 (jué) means to dig; to excavate; to dig out.
How do you pronounce 掘?
It is pronounced jué.
What parts is 掘 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 屈 (to bend; to yield), 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 4–11 与 屈（⿸尸出）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 掘 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 掘?
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 掘?
Common ones are 挖掘 and 发掘. The reading of 掘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.