How to Write 揸 (zhā) — Meaning “to clutch; to grasp”

Imagine you need to check (查) something firmly with your hand (扌) to make sure you have a good grip. This reminds you that 揸 means to clutch or grasp. You can also picture holding a pen tightly (揸笔) as a concrete example.

The left radical 扌 should be narrow, and the right part 查 has a 木 (tree) on top and 旦 (dawn) below. A common mistake is making the 木 too wide or forgetting the bottom horizontal stroke in 旦. Write the strokes in order: first the hand radical, then the right side from top to bottom.

揸 means to clutch or grasp tightly, while 挨 (āi) means to lean on or suffer, and 挫 (cuò) means to defeat or twist. Visually, 揸 uses 查 on the right, 挨 uses 矣, and 挫 uses 坐. For example, 揸笔 (hold a pen) is different from 挨打 (get beaten) or 挫败 (defeat).

揸 is not in HSK and is less common in standard Mandarin, but it appears in phrases like 揸笔 (to hold a pen), 揸紧 (to grasp firmly), and 揸手 (to shake hands). In Cantonese, 揸 is used for driving (揸车), but in Mandarin it mainly stays in the meaning of clutching.

Common words containing 揸 include: 揸笔 (zhā bǐ) — to hold a pen; 揸紧 (zhā jǐn) — to hold tightly; to grasp firmly; 揸手 (zhā shǒu) — to shake hands.