裁 (cái) is a Chinese character meaning “to cut (cloth or paper) to size”. It is written from 𢦏 (十 on top of the halberd 戈 — the outer frame of 裁, 栽 and 载) and 衣 (clothing; garment), one enclosing the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to cut out; to judge”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𢦏 + 衣
Enclosing structure
- 𢦏 十 on top of the halberd 戈 — the outer frame of 裁, 栽 and 载 · zāi sound
- 衣 clothing; garment · yī meaning
Structure from: 说文解字·衣部：裁，制衣也。从衣𢦏聲；现代字形 IDS ⿹𢦏衣 已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核对（第 1–3、10–12 笔属 𢦏，第 4–9 笔属 衣）
Memory aid
A blade-topped halberd (𢦏) reaches over a piece of cloth (衣): time to cut the cloth to size. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 裁判cái pànreferee; umpire; to judge裁 = cái
- 总裁zǒng cáicompany president; CEO裁 = cái
- 仲裁zhòng cáiarbitration; to arbitrate裁 = cái
Go deeper
All readings
to cut out; to judge
to cut (cloth or paper) to size; to cut back, reduce; to judge, decide
用剪刀等把布、纸按需要割开；削减；判断、决定。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 裁判cái pànreferee; umpire; to judge裁 = cái
- 总裁zǒng cáicompany president; CEO裁 = cái
- 仲裁zhòng cáiarbitration; to arbitrate裁 = cái
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 裁 mean?
裁 (cái) means to cut (cloth or paper) to size; to cut back, reduce; to judge, decide.
How do you pronounce 裁?
It is pronounced cái.
What parts is 裁 made of?
𢦏 (十 on top of the halberd 戈 — the outer frame of 裁, 栽 and 载) and 衣 (clothing; garment), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·衣部：裁，制衣也。从衣𢦏聲；现代字形 IDS ⿹𢦏衣 已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核对（第 1–3、10–12 笔属 𢦏，第 4–9 笔属 衣）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 裁 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 裁?
衣. 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 裁?
Common ones are 裁判, 总裁, 仲裁. The reading of 裁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.