How to Write 拨 (bō) — Meaning “to push aside; to dial”

Imagine you use your hand (扌) to dial a phone, and the call gets "sent out" (发). The right side 发 looks like a person reaching out, which helps you remember the action of pushing something aside or dialing a number.

Pay attention to the right side 发: it starts with a left-slanting stroke, then a horizontal, then a left-falling stroke, and finally a right-falling stroke. A common error is to write the top part like the similar-looking 友, but 发 has a different stroke order — don't confuse the two.

托 (tuō) means "to hold in the palm" or "to support" and uses the radical 扌 with 乇, while 拨 means "to push aside" or "to dial" with 发. Visually, 托 has a simpler right side (乇) that looks like a small cross, whereas 拨 has a more complex right side with more strokes.

拨 is most often seen in 拨打 (bō dǎ), meaning "to dial a phone number." It also appears in 拨款 (bō kuǎn, to allocate funds) when talking about sending money officially, and in 拨弄 (bō nòng, to fiddle with or stir something). These uses all involve a hand movement that shifts or activates something.

Common words containing 拨 include: 拨打 (bō dǎ) — to dial (a phone number); 拨款 (bō kuǎn) — to allocate funds; 拨弄 (bō nòng) — to fiddle with; to stir.