抓 Stroke Order — How to Write 抓
抓 is written in 7 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 扌, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
抓 Radical and Character Components
抓 is an ideographic compound. A hand 扌 with claws 爪; 爪 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 + 4 more strokes
抓 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- zhuā
Meanings of 抓 in Chinese
1
zhuā抓
To scratch or paw with fingers or claws, often to relieve an itch.
他感到背部很痒，所以伸手去抓
He felt his back was very itchy, so he reached out to scratch it.
To grab, pick up, or dispense with hands, often implying selecting or preparing, as in 'to fill a prescription' or 'to draw lots'.
医生给他开了中药，让他去药店抓药。
The doctor prescribed traditional Chinese medicine for him, asking him to go to the pharmacy to get it dispensed.
to catch; to arrest (e.g., a criminal)
警察抓住了小偷。
The police caught the thief.
To grasp, seize, or make good use of (e.g., time, opportunity, or effort).
我们应该抓紧时间，好好学习。
We should seize the time and study diligently.
To pay special attention to or to actively manage and focus on key aspects or priorities.
为了提高效率，我们需要抓好核心业务。
To improve efficiency, we need to focus on our core business.
to attract or capture attention
这部电影的开场就牢牢抓住了我的心
The opening of this movie firmly captured my heart.
Common Words and Phrases with 抓
1
to capitalize on someone's vulnerable point; to seize on someone's mistakes or faults as an excuse to attack them
工作中偶尔犯的小错误，没必要被抓辫子。
Minor errors occasionally made at work don't need to be seized upon as a pretext.
2
To forcibly conscript people into military service.
乱世之中，有些地方为了扩充兵力，不得不采取抓兵的方式。
In times of chaos, some regions had to resort to forcible conscription to expand their military forces.
3
To draw a lottery or decide a winner by chance.
我们将在年会上抓彩，希望大家都能拿到心仪的奖品。
We will hold a raffle at the annual meeting, hoping everyone can win their desired prizes.
4
To press someone into service; to assign a task to someone, often unwillingly or when others are reluctant.
今天没人愿意去打扫办公室，结果小王被抓差了。
Today, nobody wanted to clean the office, so Xiao Wang was assigned the task.
5
To select key units or points to focus on and gain experience, then apply that experience more broadly.
为了提高整体服务水平，我们决定在其中一个分店“抓点”，率先推行新的顾客反馈系统，待经验成熟后再向所有分店推广。
To improve overall service quality, we decided to 'focus on a pilot program' in one of our branches to first implement a new customer feedback system, and once the experience is mature, promote it to all other branches.
6
To forcibly conscript able-bodied men, often into military service or forced labor.
在那个动荡的年代，许多家庭都害怕有人上门抓丁，因为一旦被带走，前途未卜。
In that turbulent era, many families feared someone coming to forcibly conscript men, because once taken, their future was uncertain.
7
to catch or arrest gamblers; to crack down on gambling
警方近日成功抓赌，捣毁了一个隐藏在郊区的赌博窝点。
The police recently succeeded in cracking down on gambling, dismantling a gambling den hidden in the suburbs.
8
To scratch one's ears and cheeks, typically indicating anxiety, impatience, distress, or sometimes uncontrollable joy.
小猴子在笼子里上蹿下跳，抓耳挠腮，显得十分烦躁。
The little monkey jumped up and down in its cage, scratching its ears and cheeks, appearing very agitated.
9
to press-gang
为了尽快完成这项艰巨的任务，他们不得不通过“抓夫”的方式召集工人。
To complete this arduous task as quickly as possible, they had to gather workers by 'impressing men into service'.
10
to arrest; to capture
警方成功抓获了盗窃珠宝的嫌疑人
The police successfully apprehended the suspect who stole the jewelry.
11
To grasp firmly; to seize (an opportunity, time, etc.).
请抓紧时间完成作业，不要拖延。
Please hurry up and finish your homework; don't procrastinate.
12
13
A weightlifting event where a barbell is lifted from the ground to an overhead position in a single, continuous motion.
这位年轻的运动员在训练中苦练抓举技巧，希望能刷新个人最好成绩。
This young athlete is diligently practicing snatch techniques in training, hoping to break their personal best.
14
to swindle and bluff; to deceive and cheat
他平日里装腔作势，其实不过是抓拿骗吃，想在老板面前捞点好处。
He usually puts on airs, but in reality, he is just trying to defraud others to gain some favors from the boss.
15
A baby's playful stretching and crooking of its fingers.
小宝宝醒来后，躺在床上开心地抓挠儿，咯咯地笑着
After waking up, the little baby happily wiggled their fingers on the bed, chuckling.
16
To grasp the key link or the most crucial point of a task or problem; to focus on the fundamental and most important aspects.
解决复杂问题时，学会抓牛鼻子，找到问题的症结所在，才能事半功倍。
When tackling complex problems, learning to grasp the crucial point and identify the root cause will allow you to achieve more with less effort.
More words with 抓
- yī一bǎ把zhuā抓Handle everything at once, Lump everything together
- sī撕zhuā抓to tear and scratch at something
- zhuā抓zhù住catch, grab
- zhuā抓bǔ捕Arrest, Capture
- zhuā抓dào到caught, captured
- zhuā抓hǎo好to manage effectively, to implement well
- zhuā抓jiū阄draw lots, cast lots
- zhuā抓nao挠scratch, claw
- zhuā抓yào药dispense medicine, fill a prescription
- zhuā抓zǒu走take away, snatch away
- bèi被zhuā抓caught, arrested
- hěn狠zhuā抓firmly grasp, tightly control
- zhuā抓bú不zhù住cannot hold, cannot catch
- zhuā抓dì地lì力grip, traction
- zhuā抓jǐn紧shí时jiān间Hurry up, Make the most of your time
- bèi被zhuā抓zhù住caught, captured
- zhuā抓ěr耳Puzzled, At a loss
- zhuā抓huí回recapture, catch back
- zhuā抓qǐ起grab, pick up
- zhuā抓wěn稳Hold tight, Steady yourself
Idioms with 抓
- zhuā抓pò破liǎn脸pí皮to have a complete falling-out
- zhuā抓xiǎo小biàn辫zi子exploit someone's weakness
- zhuā抓xīn心náo挠gān肝feel extremely distressed or tormented
- gé隔xuē靴zhuā抓yǎng痒Ineffective effort, missing the point
- sāo搔tóu头zhuā抓ěr耳impatient, anxious, or bewildered
- xīn心yǎng痒nán难zhuā抓feel an uncontrollable urge or longing
- zhuā抓ěr耳róu揉sāi腮look distressed, anxious, or at a loss
- zhuā抓ěr耳sāo搔sāi腮scratching ears and cheeks in impatience
- zhuā抓pò破liǎn脸zi子have a public falling out
- zhuā抓pò破miàn面pí皮have a public falling out
- zhuā抓sāi腮wā挖ěr耳fidget restlessly with anxiety
- méi眉mao毛hú胡zi子yī一bǎ把zhuā抓tackle tasks indiscriminately
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Open the tool →Questions about 抓
What does 抓 mean in Chinese?
抓 (zhuā) means “To grab” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 抓?
抓 is pronounced zhuā in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 抓 have?
抓 has 7 strokes.
How do you write 抓?
抓 is written in 7 strokes, starting from the radical 扌. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 抓?
The radical of 抓 is 扌, and 抓 is an ideographic compound.
