抓 (zhuā) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

抓

zhuā[zhua1]Tone 1

to grab, catch, arrest, snatch, scratch

HSK 3

Guru Deep Dive

English · to grab, catch, arrest, snatch, scratch

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Hand Radical 扌) should be compact and narrower, while the right side (爪) provides width and sweeping dynamic balance.

1. Meaning

to grab or clutch with the hand

to arrest or capture a criminalto scratch an itch or surfaceto seize an opportunity or grasp a main point

VerbNeutral/Colloquial#actions#hand gestures#law enforcement#tactile interaction

Sample Usage

小偷被警察抓住了。
Xiǎotōu bèi jǐngchá zhuā zhù le.
The thief was caught by the police.
他用手抓起一个苹果。
Tā yòng shǒu zhuā qǐ yí gè píngguǒ.
He grabbed an apple with his hand.

2. Sound

/[ʈʂuä⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

抓

zhuāzhua1

¯(55)

=zhuā

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: wah sound

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wah'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays entirely at the top of your vocal range, matching a steady, flat musical note like a singer warming up on a high 'a'.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh-' with the dental/alveolar affricate 'z-' (zhua vs. zua), or failing to hold the high level pitch of Tone 1.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat horizontal line in front of you, like drawing a straight line across the top of a chalkboard.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Hand Radical 扌) should be compact and narrower, while the right side (爪) provides width and sweeping dynamic balance.

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand Radical (hand, manual actions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (Indicates that the action is performed using the hand)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 爪 (original sound: zhua)

The Hand radical (扌) on the left combines with the claw/hand character (爪) on the right to visually represent the forceful act of grabbing or clutching something with your fingers.

扌 Hand action semantic indicator
爪 Claw or hand shape providing phonetic and base semantic support

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed by combining the Hand radical (扌) representing physical action with 爪 (claw/hand), signifying a hand seizing or scratching.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring to scratching or clawing with fingers, it broadened over time to mean grabbing, snatching objects, and arresting criminals.

The component 爪 itself depicts fingers pointing downward like a bird's talon or human hand.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a superhero using their **Hand** (扌) like a bird's **Claw** (爪) to **grab** a falling villain right out of the air!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

抓

zhuāto grab / scratchBase character with hand radical

爪

zhǎoclaw / nailWithout the hand radical, refers specifically to animal claws

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

爪(zhǎo)

爪 lacks the left-hand radical (扌) and usually refers to a physical claw or nail with a dipping Tone 3.

装(zhuāng)

装 has 衣 (clothing) at the bottom instead of 爪, meaning 'to pack, load, or pretend'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

警察迅速[___]住了那个小偷。

Clue: zhuā

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the left-hand radical (扌) and writing only 爪 (zhǎo), which changes the meaning to 'claw' and alters the tone.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 抓 (zhuā) mean and how do you pronounce its initial consonant?

Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'to grab or catch' using the hand radical and claw component?

抓zhuāto grab, catch, arrest, snatch, scratch

Speed:

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