掃 (sǎo) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

掃

sǎo[sao3]Tone 3

to sweep

HSK 4

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扫

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to sweep

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand component) is narrow and compressed, while the right phonetic component takes up the majority of the horizontal space to maintain structural equilibrium.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 掃 uses 彐 over a brush structure, simplified in mainland China to 扫 with a simple 𠃑 final stroke structure.

1. Meaning

to sweep (with a brush or broom)

to sweep away, wipe out, or get rid ofto scan or sweep one's eyes over something

VerbNeutral#cleaning#actions#household chores

Sample Usage

请把地扫一下。
Qǐng bǎ dì sǎo yīxià.
Please sweep the floor.
我们要扫除一切障碍。
Wǒmen yào sǎochú yīqiè zhàng'ài.
We must sweep away all obstacles.

2. Sound

/[saʊ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

掃

sǎosao3

ˇ(214)

=sǎo

Initial Consonant

Type: Dental Fricative

Sounds like: English s sound as in 'sun'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Clear, steady sibilant hiss.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue is close to the alveolar ridge, letting air hiss gently through a narrow gap without vocal cord vibration.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ao rhymes with ow in 'cow'

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

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

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, similar to a disbelieving English question 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, it shifts to a 2nd tone (rising 35), turning sǎo into sáo in fast speech.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 3 (sǎo) with Tone 4 (sào); ensure the pitch dips low enough before rising, rather than dropping sharply and stopping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from chest level to your stomach, then sweep upward to your chin.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 掃 uses 彐 over a brush structure, simplified in mainland China to 扫 with a simple 𠃑 final stroke structure.

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand radical (Hand action or manual labor)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (Indicates an action performed by the hand (using a broom or tool))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 彐 (original sound: sao)

A hand (扌) holding a broom or tool to brush away dirt (彐 represents the sweeping motion or broom head).

扌 Hand component indicating physical action
彐 Phonetic and structural component providing the sǎo sound

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the hand symbol (手/扌) with a brush or broom symbol to represent the manual act of clearing away dust or debris.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from physically sweeping floors with a broom to abstract concepts like clearing away obstacles, sweeping clean, or visually scanning an area.

Brooms in ancient China were typically made of twigs or bamboo tied to a handle, which inspired the visual components of cleaning characters.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ソウ (sō) / Kun: はく (haku)

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your HAND (扌) to hold a broom and SWEEP (sǎo) the floor clean until it shines.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

嫂

sǎoelder brother's wifeAdd the woman radical (女) to mean sister-in-law.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

绍(shào)

Uses the thread radical (纟) instead of hand (扌), meaning to connect or introduce (e.g., 介绍).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

大掃除時，大家一起把房間[___]乾淨。

Clue: sǎo

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the hand radical (扌) on the left with the water radical (氵), which would drastically change the character and meaning.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the character 扫 with a hand radical and a broom phonetic, what action does it represent?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to sweep' (sǎo) using the hand radical?

掃sǎoto sweep

Speed:

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