Radical 3 of 20 · へん · left

扌てへん: hand

Things you do with your hands: holding, throwing, hitting, pointing.

Heads 26 of the 1026 kanji taught in Japanese primary school.

字源 · WHY THIS SHAPE

From a picture to 扌

Ancient forms: one attested example each, from the Ancient Chinese characters project on Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Shapes varied a lot by time and place. Tap an image for its source.

1. The picture
An open hand. The short strokes are the fingers and the long vertical line is the wrist and arm.
2. Squeezed to the left
On the left it shrinks to three strokes: one across, one down with a hook, and one flicking up. This is 扌, “hand at the side”.

Origins follow the commonly taught explanations. Where scholars disagree, we say so.

What the family is about

Things you do with your hands: holding, throwing, hitting, pointing.

持hold
投throw
打strike
指finger

When the hint fails

才 (talent) is filed under 手 by dictionaries, but it started as a different picture.

才genius

The 扌 family, grade by grade

Every primary-school kanji filed under 扌. Tap one to see its meaning.

Grade 1小1 · 1

手
hand

Grade 2小2 · 1

才
genius, years old

Grade 3小3 · 5

持
hold, have
指
finger, point to
投
throw, discard
打
strike, hit
拾
pick up, gather

Grade 4小4 · 2

挙
raise, plan
折
fold, break

Grade 5小5 · 7

提
propose, take along
技
skill, art
接
touch, contact
授
impart, instruct
採
pick, take
損
damage, loss
招
beckon, invite

Grade 6小6 · 10

担
shouldering, carry
推
conjecture, infer
批
criticism, strike
拡
broaden, extend
承
acquiesce, hear
探
grope, search
揮
brandish, wave
操
maneuver, manipulate
捨
discard, throw away
拝
worship, adore