How to Write 掷 (zhì) — Meaning “to throw; to toss; to cast”

Imagine your hand (扌) throwing a heavy metal ball (the right part 郑 looks like a metal ball with a cross). Picture yourself in a game: you "掷" (hurl) that ball as far as you can. This visual of a hand tossing a metal object links the shape to the meaning.

The left radical 扌 is narrow, with the horizontal stroke rising slightly. The right part 郑 has eight strokes; make sure the left side of 郑 (关-like component) is compact, and the final rightmost stroke (阝) is written with a vertical down then a hook. Common mistakes are making the left 扌 too wide or the right 郑 unbalanced.

掷 (zhì, to throw) uses the hand radical 扌 with 郑; 拜 (bài, to bow) uses two hands ㊣ and 一, and means a respectful gesture. 括 (kuò, to include) also has 扌 but with 舌 (tongue), so its meaning relates to enclosing or sorting. Focus on the right-side component: 郑 vs 舌 vs the two hands of 拜.

掷 is common in sports and games, such as 掷球 (throw a ball) and 掷骰子 (roll dice). It also appears in formal or literary phrases like 抛掷 (to discard or throw away). Culturally, 掷骰子 is a classic image in Chinese gambling and board games.

Common words containing 掷 include: 掷球 (zhì qiú) — to throw a ball; 掷骰子 (zhì tóu zi) — to roll dice; 抛掷 (pāo zhì) — to throw; to hurl.