挖
Character learning workspace

wā · to dig, to excavate

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 6Frequency #2449
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 挖

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 挖 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

9Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

扌Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 挖 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 挖

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

wāWords pronounced wā
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Example sentences

Notice where 挖 sits in each complete thought.

Nǐ zǒng shì wā kǔ wǒ de zhe zhuāng.你总是挖苦我的着装。

You are always digging at me about my clothes.

Source: Tatoeba #4208550 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tāng mǔ zhēn huì wā kǔ rén.汤姆真会挖苦人。

Tom is quite sarcastic.

Source: Tatoeba #5663484 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā wā le yí gè dòng.他挖了一个洞。

He dug a hole.

Source: Tatoeba #414486 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ kě yǐ zài dì shàng wā tǔ.你可以在地上挖土。

You can dig dirt from the ground.

Source: Tatoeba #5556193 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Bú yào zài wā nǎi de bízi le.不要再挖妳的鼻子了。

Stop picking your nose.

Source: Tatoeba #13139032 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ zhī yòng yì tiān jiù yòng chǎn zǐ wā le yí gè dà kēng.我只用一天就用鏟子挖了一個大坑。

I dug a huge pit with my shovel in just one day.

Source: Tatoeba #13858602 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 挖 in context

  1. Say wā, then recall the core meaning: to dig, to excavate.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 挖掘 (wā jué), meaning “to excavate”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 挖 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.