爪 Radical 87 — a claw, a talon; a hand reaching down from above
zhǎo (third tone, dipping)
a claw, a talon; a hand reaching down from above
Radical 874 strokes0 characters
Also written 爫 — the same radical in a different position inside the character.
Where the shape comes from
A hand turned palm down with the fingers hooked — the grasping hand seen from above, which is why it is drawn as a claw. Sitting on top of a character it flattens to 爫, and there it is nearly always a human hand reaching for something: 受 to receive, 采 to pick, 爱 with its hand over a heart. On its own it names the claws of an animal, 爪子.
characters filed under 爪
No published character on HSK Guide is filed under this radical yet. Character explorer.