The character 掌 — “palm”: how to write it and what it means
palm; be in charge of
The Chinese character 掌 is read zhǎng and means “palm; be in charge of”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 掌
掌 has 12 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 掌, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 掌 is made of
Below, 手 “hand”; on top, the same part as in 常 and 堂: a hint at the reading.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 掌
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 掌?
掌 has 12 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 掌 mean?
掌 means “palm; be in charge of”. It appears in 掌握 (“master”), 鼓掌 (“applaud”), 掌声 (“applause”).
How do you pronounce 掌?
掌 is read zhǎng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 掌 have?
12 strokes.
← 训 instruct拼 piece together →
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 掌 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free