拉

• Pinyin: lā
• Hanzi breakdown: 拉 = 扌(hand) + 立 (stand, phonetic) — using the hand to pull

Meaning

To pull; to drag; to draw. The action of using force to move something toward oneself.

Used for pulling doors, dragging objects, pulling someone's hand, and playing string instruments. Also appears in compound words like 拉面 (pulled noodles).

Examples

1. 请拉开门。 Please pull the door open.
2. 妈妈拉着孩子的手过马路。 Mom held the child's hand to cross the street.
3. 不要拉我的头发！ Don't pull my hair!

Usage Guide

Context: physical action, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他拉着我的手走。(He walked holding my hand.)
• 请帮我拉一下这个箱子。(Please help me pull this suitcase.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'拉门'表示推门 (Don't use 拉 when you mean 推 — 拉 means pull, 推 means push; check the sign on the door)

Origin & History

A phono-semantic compound with 扌(hand radical) indicating the action is done by hand.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal