How to Write 払 (fǎn) — Meaning “to shake off or dust”

Picture your hand (扌) making a quick hooking motion (乚) to flick dust off your sleeve. The right side looks like a tiny hook catching and tossing away dirt, so the whole character means "to shake off."

Write the left radical 扌 first (horizontal, vertical hook, then the short middle stroke), making sure the hook is sharp. Then add the right part 乚 in one smooth stroke: a short horizontal followed by a downward hook that curves slightly left. The right hook should not touch the left radical.

払 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and a simple hook 乚 on the right, while 才 has no left radical and consists of horizontal, vertical hook, and a diagonal stroke. 払 means a hand action (to dust off), whereas 才 means "talent" and is a common character with a different structure.

払 is very rare in modern Chinese and is mostly seen in classical texts or as a variant of the more common character 拂 (fú, to brush away). It is more frequently used in Japanese kanji, where it appears in words like 払う (harau, to pay or sweep).

Common words containing 払 include: 払拭 (fǎn shì) — to wipe away; 払云 (fǎn yún) — to brush away clouds; 払袖 (fǎn xiù) — to flick one's sleeves.