刷

shuā, shuà

刂 + 𡰯

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

shuā (verb) to brush; to paint; to clean with a brush

shuā (verb) to refresh (a webpage); to scroll through

shuā (verb) to skip (class); to fire from a job

shuà (verb) to select

Etymology

Depicts a person squatting (尸) and holding a utensil (刂 ) attached to a cloth (巾) to scrub or clean something.

About

刷 is built from 尸 (a person squatting), 巾 (a cloth), and 刂 (a knife or utensil), picturing someone scrubbing with a cloth attached to a tool. It originally meant scraping dirt away with a rigid implement. The meaning later expanded to bristled tools for scrubbing, cleaning, or applying liquids, and now encompasses the brush object and the sweeping, wiping, or painting motions made with it.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我每天刷牙。

Wǒ měi tiān shuā yá.

I brush my teeth every day.

他刷卡支付。

Tā shuā kǎ zhīfù.

He pays by swiping the card.

妈妈在刷碗。

Māma zài shuā wǎn.

Mom is washing dishes.

工人正在刷墙。

Gōngrén zhèngzài shuā qiáng.

The worker is painting the wall.

请刷新这个网页。

Qǐng shuāxīn zhège wǎngyè.

Please refresh this webpage.

他总是在刷存在感。

Tā zǒng shì zài shuā cúnzàigǎn.

He is always seeking attention.

我用新刷子刷鞋子。

Wǒ yòng xīn shuāzi shuā xiézi.

I use a new brush to clean the shoes.

她先刷牙，然后刷卡买早餐。

Tā xiān shuā yá, ránhòu shuā kǎ mǎi zǎocān.

She first brushes her teeth, then swipes her card to buy breakfast.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 刂

刷