How to Write 拴 (shuān) — Meaning “to tie; to fasten”

Imagine your hand (扌) holding a rope to tie a FULL (全) bundle of sticks. The visual of your hand pulling a rope around an entire pile helps link the character's shape to its meaning of tying or fastening.

The left radical 扌 has three strokes: the horizontal, then a hook stroke, and finally a vertical stroke — make sure the final vertical is straight and does not cross the hook. The right part 全 has a roof-like top (人) over an upright 王, but note the strokes: the top is two separate strokes (left-falling and right-falling), not a continuous line. A common mistake is to write the top of 全 as a single stroke like 入 — keep it as two strokes.

扭 (niǔ) means 'to twist' or 'to turn,' focusing on a rotating or wringing motion, while 拴 means 'to tie up' or 'fasten.' Visually, 扭 has the radical 扌 and the right part is 丑 (an old form for 'ugly' or a phonetic), whereas 拴's right part is 全. So even though both involve hand actions, 拴 is about binding and securing, not twisting.

拴 is commonly used when physically tying animals or objects, like 拴马 (tie up a horse) or 拴住 (to tie up/fasten). In daily life, you might hear it in a rural or farm context, or figuratively, such as 拴牢 (to tie firmly). It is not a high-frequency character in HSK, but it appears in practical situations involving ropes, animals, or securing items.

Common words containing 拴 include: 拴住 (shuān zhù) — to tie up; to fasten; 拴马 (shuān mǎ) — to tie up a horse; 拴牢 (shuān láo) — to tie firmly.