How to Write 扒 (bā/pá) — Meaning “to push aside; to dig; to hold on to”

Imagine your hand (扌) making a V-shape like the number eight (八) as you push aside curtains or dig into the ground. The V-shape represents the spreading motion of your fingers when you pry something open. This visual link helps you recall that 扒 means to push aside, dig, or hold on to.

The stroke order is: horizontal, vertical hook, lift for the radical 扌, then left-falling and right-falling for 八. Make sure the left side is narrow and the right side is wider, and the two strokes of 八 do not touch each other. A common mistake is writing 八 like 人 (person) or 入 (enter) — remember that 八 has two separate slanted strokes that open outward.

扌 is only the hand radical, not a complete character, while 扒 is a full character with the radical and the component 八. 才 (cái, meaning "talent" or "just") looks similar but has a horizontal stroke crossing a vertical hook and a left-falling stroke — it does not contain the hand radical. Visually, 扒 always has the hand on the left, and 才 does not.

扒 is used in actions like 扒开 (bā kāi, to push aside or pry open) and 扒皮 (bā pí, to skin or peel). An important cultural note is that 扒手 (pá shǒu, pickpocket) uses a different pronunciation (pá instead of bā), so remember this exception. In daily life, you might hear 扒 in cooking contexts (e.g., peeling fruit) or in crime reports (pickpocket).

Common words containing 扒 include: 扒开 (bā kāi) — to push aside; to pry open; 扒皮 (bā pí) — to skin; to peel; to exploit; 扒手 (pá shǒu) — pickpocket.