How to Write 抟 (tuán) — Meaning “to roll into a ball with hands; to knead”

Picture your two hands rolling a small ball of dough. The left side 扌 looks like a hand, and the right side 专 resembles a tightly wound coil or a round shape being formed. This image of shaping a ball with your hands will help you recall both the form and meaning of 抟.

Write the left radical 扌 first with three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, and lift. Then the right part 专 has four strokes: two horizontals, one vertical, and a dot at the end. A common mistake is adding extra strokes to 专, but remember it has only four strokes, not like the traditional 專 which has more.

抟 uses the right part 专 (four strokes) and means to roll or knead, while 扑 uses 卜 (two strokes) and means to rush at or pat. 㧜 is a rare character not used in modern Chinese. Visually, the different right-hand components clearly separate them, and the meanings are unrelated.

You might encounter 抟 when describing the action of shaping dough, clay, or snow into a ball with your hands. The word 抟弄 can also mean to manipulate or control something figuratively. While not common in everyday conversation, it appears in literature, handicraft instructions, and even Daoist texts like "抟扶摇" (riding the whirlwind).

Common words containing 抟 include: 抟弄 (tuán nòng) — to mold; to knead; to manipulate; 抟聚 (tuán jù) — to gather together; to cluster; 抟成 (tuán chéng) — to roll or mold into a shape.