How to Write 掖 (yē/yè) — Meaning “to tuck in”

Picture your hand (扌) tucking a child into bed at night (夜). Imagine the character as your hand pulling the blanket snugly — the night part reminds you when this action often happens.

Write the left radical 扌 first: horizontal, then vertical hook, then lift. For the right part 夜, start with the top dot, then horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling, horizontal hook, and final dot. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced; a common mistake is making the right side too compressed or confusing the top dot with a different radical.

Compared to 拜 (worship), 掖 has 夜 on the right while 拜 has a different right component that looks like two hands — 拜 is used for bowing or worship, not tucking. Compared to 括 (to include), 括 has 舌 (tongue) on the right, giving it a flat top without a dot; 掖's right side begins with a dot, and its meaning is about physical tucking rather than inclusion.

掖 is commonly used for physically tucking something, like 掖好衬衫 (tuck in the shirt) or 掖好被子 (tuck in the quilt). It also appears in words like 藏掖 (cáng yè, meaning to hide or conceal), though the pronunciation changes to yè in that compound. In daily life, it often implies a caring or neatness-related action.

Common words containing 掖 include: 掖好 (yē hǎo) — to tuck in well; 藏掖 (cáng yè) — To tuck away / To hide; 扶掖 (fú yè) — to support by the arm; to help and guide.