扫

掃
sǎo
#1,433 most
frequent character
sweep, broom
verb
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

扫 joins 扌 hand with 彐, now an empty part. 彐 is a shortened form of 帚 broom, so the picture is a hand and a broom. The first meaning is 'to sweep dirt away'. Read sào, it also means 'broom'.

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Example Sentences

我每天都扫地。
wǒ měitiān dū sǎodì 。
I sweep the floor every day.
她用扫把扫掉了地上的灰尘。
tā yòng sǎo bǎ sǎo diàole dìshàng de huīchén 。
She used a broom to sweep away the dust on the floor.
这个扫把不太好用。
zhègè sǎo bǎ bùtàihǎo yòng 。
This broom is not very easy to use.

Same Characters, Different Readings

扫sào
(bound form) a (large) broom

Words with similar meanings

清扫qīngsǎo
clean up
more formal and emphasizes the act of cleaning thoroughly.
扫除sǎochú
remove (dirt)
implies the act of getting rid of dirt or mess.

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