揣 (chuāi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

揣

chuāi[chuai1]Tone 1

to put into (one's pockets, clothes)

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to put into (one's pockets, clothes)

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand component 扌) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the remaining two-thirds for the right component (而), ensuring proper horizontal balance.

1. Meaning

to put into (one's pockets, clothes)

to estimateto guessto harbor (thoughts, intentions)

VerbNeutral#action#body movement#cognition

Sample Usage

他把手揣在口袋里。
tā bǎ shǒu chuāi zài kǒudài lǐ.
He put his hands into his pockets.
揣摩心思
chuāimó xīnsī
to fathom someone's thoughts

2. Sound

/[t͡ʂʰu̯aɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

揣

chuāichuai1

¯(55)

=chuāi

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

chuai

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: ch sound with tongue curled back (retroflex)

AspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Both curled tongue AND explosive puff of air! Tissue MUST fly.

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

Final Rhyme

uai

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -uai rhymes with 'w-eye'

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

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

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: uai combines the u-glide with the ai diphthong

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays consistently high and flat, resembling a sustained musical note or a flat line on a monitor.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the initial retroflex 'ch-' with the dental 'c-' or alveolar 'q-', and missing the glide '-uai'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A flat, high-pitched horizontal line in the air, exactly like singing a sustained high note.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

4. Components

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

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (Indicates an action performed with the hand (putting something into a pocket or clothes).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 而 (original sound: ér / chuāi)

The hand radical (扌) joins with the phonetic and structural component 'while / and' (而) to represent reaching out with the hand to tuck something away.

扌 Hand action
而 Phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

11· Phonetic Root: 耑

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) showing physical action and 而 as a phonetic indicator.

Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting physical placement into garments or pockets, later extended to mental estimation or pondering.

In Taiwan, this character can also be pronounced with Tone 3 (chuǎi) depending on regional standard variations for certain compounds.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

With your hand (扌), you take something and tuck it right into your clothes while (而) walking down the street.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

耑

Phonetic Core (声旁)

端

duāntip, end, extremity, to hold level with both hands+ 立 (stand)

喘

chuǎnto gasp, to pant, asthma+ 口 (mouth)

瑞

ruìlucky, auspicious, propitious+ 王 (jade)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

端(duān)

端 uses the 立 radical on the left (standing upright), whereas 揣 uses the 扌 radical on the left (hand action).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他把钱包[___]在口袋里。

Clue: chuāi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the hand radical (扌) on the left with the standing radical (立), leading to confusion with the character 端 (duān).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 揣 mean, and what is its primary pronunciation?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to put into one's pocket' (chuāi) with 12 strokes?

揣chuāito put into (one's pockets, clothes)

Speed:

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