How to Write 擦 (cā) — Meaning “To wipe; to rub; to erase”

Imagine you use your hand (扌) to "check" (察, similar to "inspect") a dirty spot by wiping it. Visualize rubbing a table and then checking if it is clean — the hand checks by wiping.

Write the left 扌 (hand radical) narrow and tall, then the right side 察 wider. Pay special attention to the top part of 察 (宀) and the complex middle (祭), making sure all strokes fit together without crowding. A common mistake is forgetting the small dot above the 祭 part.

While all three use the hand radical 扌, 擦 means "to wipe" or "erase," while 撅 means "to pout" or "to break off" and 撑 means "to support" or "to prop up." Visually, 擦 has 察 on the right, 撅 has 厥, and 撑 has 掌 — completely different right sides.

擦 is very common for daily cleaning tasks, like 擦桌子 (wipe the table) and 擦汗 (wipe off sweat). In Chinese classrooms, students often take turns 擦黑板 (clean the blackboard), which is a typical duty. There is also a cultural note: wiping is seen as a polite way to keep shared spaces tidy.

Common words containing 擦 include: 擦桌子 (cā zhuō zi) — To wipe the table; 擦汗 (cā hàn) — To wipe off sweat; 擦黑板 (cā hēi bǎn) — To wipe the blackboard.