赦 (shè) is a Chinese character meaning “to pardon”. It is written from 赤 (red; bare) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to pardon”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
赤 + 攵
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·攴部：赦，置也。从攴赤聲（现代字形 ⿰赤攵；笔画核验 赤7 + 攵4 = 11）
Memory aid
A man stands red-faced (赤) as the hand with the rod (攵) is raised — then lowered. No beating after all: he is pardoned. That is 赦.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 赦免shè miǎnto pardon; to absolve赦 = shè
- 特赦tè shèspecial pardon (granted by the state)赦 = shè
Go deeper
All readings
to pardon
to pardon; to remit a punishment; amnesty
免除或减轻对罪过的处罚；宽恕。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 赦免shè miǎnto pardon; to absolve赦 = shè
- 特赦tè shèspecial pardon (granted by the state)赦 = shè
Sound component
赤 family diverged
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 赦 mean?
赦 (shè) means to pardon; to remit a punishment; amnesty.
How do you pronounce 赦?
It is pronounced shè.
What parts is 赦 made of?
赤 (red; bare) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·攴部：赦，置也。从攴赤聲（现代字形 ⿰赤攵；笔画核验 赤7 + 攵4 = 11）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 赦 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 赦?
赤. 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 赦?
Common ones are 赦免 and 特赦. The reading of 赦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.