How to Write 折 (shé/zhē/zhé) — Meaning “to fold; to break; discount”

Q: What is a good memory trick to remember the character 折?

Imagine a hand (扌) holding a small axe (斤) that bends a metal bar, creating a 折 (fold or break). The shape of 斤 looks like a bent object, reinforcing the idea of folding.

Q: What should I watch out for when writing 折?

Keep the left hand radical (扌) narrow and the right part (斤) balanced; the vertical stroke of 斤 should be straight and slightly longer than the left side. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or misaligning the bottom strokes.

Q: How can I tell 折 apart from similar characters like 扑?

Both have the same left radical 扌, but the right side differs: 折 has 斤 (an axe shape) while 扑 has 卜 (a simple divination mark). 扑 means 'to pounce' or 'to pat' and is used in words like 扑倒 (to pounce down), whereas 折 relates to breaking or folding.

Q: In what situations is 折 commonly used in modern Chinese?

You often see 折 in shopping for 折扣 (discount), in daily life for 折断 (to break a stick), and in expressions like 折腾 (to toss and turn or to cause trouble). The word 折扣 is especially important in Chinese culture for bargaining and sales.

Q: What common words use 折?

Common words containing 折 include: 折断 (zhé duàn) — to break; to snap; 折扣 (zhé kòu) — discount; 折腾 (zhē teng) — to toss and turn; to cause a stir; to do something over and over.

shé/zhē/zhé HSK Level 4 7 strokes Radical: 扌

折 (shé/zhē/zhé) means "to fold; to break; discount" in Chinese. It has 7 strokes with the radical 扌, and is HSK Level 4.

Rated 3.5/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 33% of HSK Level 4 characters.

Appears in 5+ common words including 折断 (zhé duàn), 折扣 (zhé kòu), 折腾 (zhē teng).

Due to its 7 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 折 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 折 - shé/zhē/zhé

Practice Writing 折 (shé/zhē/zhé)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 折 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 折

The character 折 (shé/zhē/zhé) is written with 7 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 扌 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does shé/zhē/zhé (折) Mean in Chinese?

折 means to fold; to break; discount.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: shé, zhē, zhé.

As an HSK Level 4 character, 折 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character	折
Pinyin	shé / zhē / zhé (she/zhe)
Meaning	to fold; to break; discount
Strokes	7
Radical	扌
HSK Level	4
Difficulty	3.5/5

Origin of 折

折 combines the hand radical 扌 with 斤 (axe) to show a hand holding an axe that breaks or cuts something. In ancient script, a hand with an axe chopping wood depicted the action of folding or breaking.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine your hand (扌) gripping an axe (斤) and snapping a thick branch in half with a single chop.

Common Words with 折

折断 zhé duàn

to break; to snap

折扣 zhé kòu

discount

折腾 zhē teng

to toss and turn; to cause a stir; to do something over and over

折本 shé běn

to lose money in business; to sell at a loss

腿折了 tuǐ zhé le

broken leg

Example Sentences

强风吹过，把路边的小树苗折断了。

qiáng fēng chuī guò bǎ lù biān de xiǎo shù miáo zhé duàn le

A strong wind blew and snapped the small saplings by the roadside.

商场正在进行年终大促销，折扣力度很大。

shāng chǎng zhèng zài jìn xíng nián zhōng dà cù xiāo zhé kòu lì dù hěn dà

The mall is having a year-end big sale with deep discounts.

这孩子太淘气了，翻来覆去地折腾个不停。

zhè hái zi tài táo qì le fān lái fù qù dì zhē teng gè bù tíng

This child is so naughty, fidgeting and tossing about non-stop.

他的这笔生意做亏了，最后还折本不少。

tā de zhè bǐ shēng yì zuò kuī le zuì hòu hái shé běn bù shǎo

He lost money on this business deal and ended up losing a lot of capital.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
折 (current)	shé / zhē / zhé	7	扌
扑	pū	5	扌
扒	bā / pá	5	扌
打	dá / dǎ	5	扌

Practice Writing 折 (shé/zhē/zhé)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 折 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 折

What are the components of 折 and how do they relate to its meaning?

The left side is 扌, the hand radical, showing that an action is done by hand. The right side is 斤, which means an axe or a cutting tool. Together, they suggest using a hand-held tool to break or fold something.

What is a good memory trick to remember the character 折?

What should I watch out for when writing 折?

How can I tell 折 apart from similar characters like 扑?

In what situations is 折 commonly used in modern Chinese?

What common words use 折?

How to Write 折 (shé/zhē/zhé) — Meaning “to fold; to break; discount”

Practice Writing 折 (shé/zhē/zhé)

How to Write 折

What Does shé/zhē/zhé (折) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 折

Common Words with 折

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 折 (shé/zhē/zhé)

Frequently Asked Questions about 折

More HSK Level 4 Characters

Characters with Radical 扌

Other 7-Stroke Characters