DICTIONARY
The Chinese word sao - 扫 - sǎo
(to sweep in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
sǎo
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
Note: This Chinese character can also be pronounced sào. However, with a different pronunciation, the meaning of the character will change as well (not yet available in this dictionary).
English translations
to sweep, to wipe out, broom,
to whisk, to besom
Chinese character and stroke order animation"How do I write 扫 ( sǎo ) correctly?"
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
扫 ( sao / sǎo ) in traditional characters
掃
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 扫 ( sao / sǎo ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Wo meitian sao yi ci di.
Wǒ měitiān sǎo yī cì dì.– English translation: I sweep the floor once a day.
Character complexity
扫 is composed of 6 strokes and therefore is of low complexity compared to the other simplified Chinese characters (average: 13.1 strokes).
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
hand | scan
扫 ( sao / sǎo ) belongs to the 3000 most common Chinese characters (rank 1329)
扫 ( sao / sǎo ) belongs to the 3000 most common Chinese characters (rank 1329)
Chinese example words containing the character 扫 ( sao / sǎo )
Other characters that are pronounced sǎo in Chinese
Report missing or erroneous translation of sao in English
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03