折 (zhé) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

zhé to break, to snap; to fold, to bend; to bow; humble 7 strokes · Radical 扌 (hand) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 折 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced zhé.

to break
to snap
to fold
to bend
to bow
humble

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

折 — 7 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

折 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

折 =

扌 left hand

斤 right a catty (about 500 grams)

Radical

The radical of 折 is 扌 — meaning hand. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 抱技扔掉拉指挂推排按播擦.

How the character is built

折 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A hand 扌 wielding an axe 斤.

HSK 4 Words Containing 折

打折 dǎzhé to discount; to give a discount

这件衣服打八折。

Zhè jiàn yīfu dǎ bā zhé.

This clothing is 20% off.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

折 appears in 21 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

看图，用“打折”造句。

From Mock Exam 17 →

我们年底有活动，正在打折，比平时便宜了一千块。

From Mock Exam 03 →

Tasks Featuring 折 / 相关任务

Words containing 折 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 交流购物体验、商业活动内容

Shopping Experiences · 打折

FAQ

What does 折 mean in Chinese?

折 (zhé) means to break, to snap; to fold, to bend; to bow; humble. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 折 have?

折 is written in 7 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 折?

The radical of 折 is 扌 (hand). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 抱, 技, 扔, 掉, 拉.

What is the pinyin for 折?

折 is pronounced zhé.

What HSK 4 words use 折?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 折 appears in 1 word, including 打折 (dǎzhé). See the full list above.