The character 摄 — “absorb”: how to write it and what it means
absorb; shoot (photo, film)
The Chinese character 摄 is read shè and means “absorb; shoot (photo, film)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 摄
摄 has 13 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 摄, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 摄 is made of
On the left, 扌 “hand”. In 摄氏度 it's just a sound: that's how Celsius's name was written.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 摄
- 摄氏度degree CelsiusHSK 4
- 摄影photography; photographHSK 5
- 拍摄shoot (film, photo)HSK 5
- 摄像shoot videoHSK 6
- 摄像头webcam, video cameraHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 摄?
摄 has 13 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 摄 mean?
摄 means “absorb; shoot (photo, film)”. It appears in 摄氏度 (“degree Celsius”), 摄影 (“photography”), 拍摄 (“shoot”), 摄像 (“shoot video”).
How do you pronounce 摄?
摄 is read shè. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 摄 have?
13 strokes.
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 摄 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.
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