How to Write 扑 (pū) — Meaning “To pounce, to flap, or to rush at.”

Imagine a hand (扌) quickly slapping a small dot (卜) — that action of slapping is like pouncing or rushing at something. Alternatively, picture the dot as a bug and the hand trying to swat it, which matches the idea of pouncing or flapping.

Write the radical 扌 first: horizontal stroke, then vertical hook, then lift. After that, write 卜: vertical stroke downward, then a small dot to the right. A common mistake is making the vertical hook in 扌 too curved or forgetting the dot in 卜, so keep the hook straight and the dot clear.

扑 has two clear parts: the hand radical 扌 on the left and 卜 on the right, totaling 5 strokes. In contrast, 才 (cái) is written as a single character with 3 strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, and a left-slanting stroke. The meanings are also different — 扑 is about actions like pouncing, while 才 means talent or ability.

扑 appears in everyday verbs such as 扑灭 (to extinguish a fire) and 扑空 (to fail to find someone after making an effort). It is also used in the borrowed word 扑克 (pū kè, poker card game), which is very popular in Chinese social gatherings. The hand-action sense is consistent: whether pouncing on prey or slapping a card on the table.

Common words containing 扑 include: 扑克 (pū kè) — Poker (card game).; 扑灭 (pū miè) — To extinguish or stamp out.; 扑空 (pū kōng) — To fail to find someone or to return empty-handed..