Chinese character 措

措 means “put in place” or “arrange,” and can also mean “handle.” Chinese uses 措施 (“measure”), 措辞/措辭 (“wording”), and 不知所措 (“at a loss”); Japanese uses 措置 (“measure”) and 挙措 (“conduct”).

Text symbol

What 措 means

The whole compound gives its precise sense.

Chinese 措施 is a problem-solving measure; 措辞/措辭 means word choice. Japanese 措置 means a measure; 挙措 means conduct.

Where does 措 come from?

It joins a hand-related part and a sound part.

扌 is the side form of 手 (“hand”); 昔 marks sound, not meaning. The early Chinese dictionary Shuowen Jiezi defines 措 as placing. A bronze inscription example is dated to the late Warring States period.

Part of the collection

中

Common Chinese Characters (Hanzi)

Who writes 措

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Don't confuse it with

错

CJK Unified Ideograph-9519

In Mandarin, they sound alike; 错 means “wrong.” Its left side is 钅, while 措 has 扌.

Questions people ask

Why does 措 show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.