扫
扫 (sǎo) means “to sweep”. It is made of 扌 + 彐 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 扫 into its parts
What 扫 is made of
- 扌 shǒu — hand
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亅 — hook
- 二 — two strokes
- 彐 jì — snout
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 二 — two strokes
Origin hint: Simplified form of 掃; to use 扌 a broom 帚; 帚 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
扫 stroke order
Example sentences
我在扫地。Wǒ zài sǎo dì.I'm sweeping the floor.
你能帮我扫一下院子吗？Nǐ néng bāng wǒ sǎo yīxià yuànzi ma?Can you help me sweep the yard?
Words with 扫
Also built with 扌
- 举jǔto raise
- 我wǒI
- 才cáitalent
- 扎zhāto prick
- 扑pūto pounce on
- 扒bāto hold on to
- 打dǎto play (ball)
- 扔rēngto throw
- 托tuōto raise
- 扛kángto carry on the shoulder
- 扣kòuto fasten
- 执zhíto execute
Quick facts
| Pinyin | sǎo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to sweep; to scan (a code) |
| Strokes | 6 |
| Radical | 手 (hand, #64) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 4 (2021) |
Questions about 扫
What does 扫 mean?
扫 (sǎo) means “to sweep; to scan (a code)”.
How many strokes does 扫 have?
扫 has 6 strokes.
What is the radical of 扫?
The radical of 扫 is 手 (shǒu, “hand”), Kangxi radical number 64.
What parts make up 扫?
扫 is made of 扌 (hand) and 彐 (snout).
Which HSK level is 扫?
扫 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 4 (2021).
Learn 扫 with its group
It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.