挎

kuà
verb HSK 7-9 #27,798

Meanings

  1. 1 to carry on one's arm; to carry over the shoulder
  2. 2 to wear across the body (a bag, basket)

Examples

HSK 2
Tā kuà zhe yígè xiǎo bāo.
She's carrying a small bag over her arm.
HSK 6
Nǎinai kuà zhe lánzi qù mǎicài.
Grandma went to buy groceries with a basket on her arm.

Tips

usage
挎 means carrying something with the strap over your arm or shoulder: bags, baskets, cameras. 挎包 = shoulder bag / crossbody bag. Don't confuse with 跨 (to stride/straddle), which uses the foot radical.

Components

radical
扌 shǒu
hand
扌 is the left-side simplified hand radical. It marks 挎 as a hand-and-arm action: here, hooking something over the arm or shoulder, the way a satchel hangs from a forearm or a basket rides the elbow. Family includes 挂 (hang), 拎 (carry by handle), 抱 (embrace), 扛 (shoulder).
phonetic
夸 kuā
boast; exaggerate
夸 (kuā) supplies the sound: initial preserved, rime preserved, tone shifted to fourth (kuà). Same phonetic powers 跨 (stride), 垮 (collapse), 胯 (hip), 侉 (vulgar) - all share a faint flavour of stretching or spanning, which fits the spread-elbow gesture of carrying on the arm.

Stroke Order

挎 kuà