手

Alternative forms

 * (when used as a left Chinese radical)

Derived characters

 * Appendix:Chinese radical/手

Glyph origin
– hand and fingers. The top stroke is the bent over middle finger, while the horizontal strokes are each two fingers. Compare, , ,.

Note that unlike the other hand/claw characters, 手 has consistently had five fingers: a mammalian/human hand, as opposed to the three digits often found in the others.

Compare also, derived from a footprint, originally composed of 3 toes and a sole.

Etymology
STEDT compares this word to based on Karlgren's Archaic Chinese (🇨🇬) reconstruction *śi̯ôg, connecting it to 🇨🇬.

However, this comparison is not supported by more recent scholarship, in which the 🇨🇬 is reconstructed with an alveolar nasal. Evidence for the nasal initial is given in :
 * can be written as, so (with a nasal initial) and 手 seem to be interchangeable as phonetics.
 * The ancient graph resembles the graph of .  seems to be the modern specialized form of, which has been borrowed to represent an earthly branch.

As done by, put  and  into the same word family as. suggests a connection to 🇨🇬, which STEDT derives from.

Alternatively, suggests a tone B endoactive derivation from, literally “that which is doing the taking”.

Definitions

 * 1) hand
 * 2) expert; master
 * 3) -ist; -er
 * 4) convenient; handy; portable
 * 5) handwritten
 * 6)  luck in gambling
 * 7)  hidden part general
 * 1) handwritten
 * 2)  luck in gambling
 * 3)  hidden part general
 * 1)  luck in gambling
 * 2)  hidden part general
 * 1)  hidden part general
 * 1)  hidden part general

Usage notes
In many varieties of Chinese south of the Yangtze River, refers to the arm and hand collectively.

Etymology 1
From, from. Compare.

Noun

 * 1) a hand
 * 2) a handle, grip
 * 3) a paw, foreleg
 * 4) a way of acting, means
 * 5)  a move, play
 * 1) a way of acting, means
 * 2)  a move, play
 * 1)  a move, play
 * 1)  a move, play

Suffix

 * 1)  -ist, -er

Etymology 2
From.

Affix

 * 1) hand
 * 2) handwork
 * 3) handicraft, skill, talent
 * 4)  -ist, -er

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) a hand

Noun

 * 1) a hand

Etymology
Cognate with 🇨🇬.

Pronunciation

 * てぃ ( - [0])

Noun

 * 1) a hand
 * 2) a handle, grip
 * 3) a skill, ability, means; especially in martial arts

Noun

 * 1) a hand

Noun

 * 1) a hand