How to Write 筢 (pá) — Meaning “bamboo rake”

Imagine a bamboo plant (竹) turning into a rake with long tines. The bottom part 耙 looks like a hand holding a rake, so picture yourself raking grass with a bamboo tool.

Write the bamboo radical first as two small 个 shapes side by side. Then draw the left part of 耙 (耒) with three horizontal lines, and finish with 巴 on the right. Keep the top bamboo narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

筢 (pá) means "bamboo rake" and has a rake component (耙). 笙 (shēng) is a reed instrument with 生 below, and 笛 (dí) is a flute with 由 below. They share the bamboo radical but have completely different meanings and pronunciations.

筢 appears mainly in rural or agricultural settings, as in 筢子 (pá zi) for a rake used to gather grass or leaves. It is not common in daily conversation, but you may see it in farming books or traditional tool descriptions.

Common words containing 筢 include: 筢子 (pá zi) — rake; 竹筢 (zhú pá) — Bamboo rake; 筢草 (pá cǎo) — to rake grass.