How to Write 掸 (dǎn) — Meaning “to dust; to brush away”

Imagine using a single (single = 单) hand (扌) holding a duster to brush off dust from a shelf. The "single hand" reminds you of the right side 单, and the action of dusting matches the meaning.

Write the hand radical 扌 first, with the vertical stroke slightly curved and the two strokes on top crossing near the middle. Then write 单: start with the small dots on top, then the long horizontal stroke, and finish with the vertical stroke and the bottom horizontal — be careful not to make the bottom part too wide.

拜 (bài) means to bow or worship and has two hands (扌 on left and right), not a single hand with 单. 括 (kuò) means to include or enclose and has 扌 with 舌 (tongue), not 单. Visually, 掸 has the key component 单 inside, while 拜 has two 手-like parts and 括 has 舌.

掸 is used for light brushing or dusting actions, like 掸子 (duster) for cleaning or 掸土 (to dust off dirt) before entering a home. It is common in daily cleaning contexts but is not in the HSK list, so it appears more in spoken or practical Chinese than in textbooks.

Common words containing 掸 include: 掸子 (dǎn zi) — duster; 掸土 (dǎn tǔ) — to dust off dirt; 掸灰尘 (dǎn huī chén) — to dust off.