Strike

It means a strike, blow, attack, or contact, depending on the word. In Chinese, 擊 appears in words for hitting or beating, attacking, and touching or colliding.

Its written structure pairs 手, the Chinese component meaning “hand,” with 毄, the sound-bearing component. The early Chinese dictionary Shuowen records a seal-script form, an older style used on seals. Han-era manuscripts and clerical script—a formal hand used for documents—show later forms. The graph developed through the writing tradition; it was not a newly invented sign.

Why does it appear as 击 or 撃?

These are related forms used in different writing traditions. Traditional Chinese uses 擊 and simplified Chinese uses 击. Japanese normally uses 撃; Japanese dictionaries list 擊 as its old form. A regional font can also draw a Han character according to its local style, changing the visible design without changing the encoded character.

How do I type 擊?

Select the Traditional Chinese candidate 擊. On a Traditional Chinese pinyin keyboard, type ji and choose 擊; a simplified-Chinese setting may offer 击. Cangjie input uses 十水手. For Japanese text, use 撃 unless you are reproducing a source that uses the older form 擊.