How to Write 紥 (zā) — Meaning “Tie”

Imagine you are tying up a bundle of silk (糸) and you give it a firm pull (扎, which looks like pulling a rope). The act of securing the silk with a strong knot helps you recall that 紥 means 'tie'.

Pay attention to the right component 扎: it starts with 扌 (hand) then has 乚 (a bent stroke) and a dot on top. Make sure the silk radical on the left is narrow, and the right side is slightly wider. A common mistake is to confuse the bent stroke with 乙, so keep the hook short.

紊 (wěn) means disorderly or chaotic—its bottom part is 文 (pattern), not 扎. 素 (sù) means plain or white, with a different bottom component (糸 plus 生). 紥 specifically involves the action of tying, while 紊 and 素 relate to texture or order.

紥 is most often used in everyday actions like tying up hair (紥头发) or bundling items (捆紥). You might also hear 紥实 to describe something solid or securely fixed. It is less common in formal writing but appears in spoken Chinese and practical contexts like packaging or hairstyling.

Common words containing 紥 include: 紥实 (zā shí) — Solid; 紥头发 (zā tóu fà) — Tie up hair; 捆紥 (kǔn zā) — to bundle up.