拍pāi

拍 (pāi) in simplified Chinese is identical to its traditional form, combining the hand radical 扌 with the phonetic component 白 to indicate striking or clapping. The character originally depicted a hand striking a surface, and today it is used in words like 拍手 (pāi shǒu, to clap) and 拍照 (pāi zhào, to take a photograph). Its visual structure—a hand (扌) hitting a blank (白)— clearly illustrates the action of slapping or tapping, a meaning that has remained clear across centuries of use.