How to Write 扦 (qiān) — Meaning “to prick or stick in”

Imagine your hand (扌) holding a long skewer that has a thousand (千) tiny needles on its tip. As you prick something, the thousand points push in — that visual of 'hand + thousand' helps recall the meaning of pricking or sticking in.

Write the hand radical first: horizontal, vertical hook, then lift. Then write 千: first a left-falling stroke (丿), then a horizontal, and finally a vertical. A common mistake is making the first stroke of 千 horizontal instead of left-falling. Keep the 扌's vertical hook straight and not too curved.

Both use the hand radical, but 扎 (zhā) has a different right side (乚 or 乙) and means to stab, tie, or bind, often with force. 扦 (qiān) specifically means to prick or insert something thin like a skewer or probe. Visually, 扦 has 千 on the right, while 扎 has a hook-like component.

扦 appears in words like 扦子 (qiān zi, skewer or probe) for barbeque or medical tools, 扦插 (qiān chā, plant cuttings) in gardening, and 扦脚 (qiān jiǎo, toenail trimming) in pedicure. It is not common in daily speech but is essential in specific trades. In Chinese street food culture, metal or bamboo 扦子 are iconic for grilling skewered meats.

Common words containing 扦 include: 扦子 (qiān zi) — skewer or probe; 扦插 (qiān chā) — to propagate by cuttings; 扦脚 (qiān jiǎo) — to trim toenails.