The kanji 拍 means "clap," "beat," "strike," or "pat." It often refers to a rhythmic striking sound, like clapping hands or the beat in music. The core meaning revolves around a sudden, often repeated, impact.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ハク (haku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・う（つ） (u(tsu)) - to beat, to clap

⚫︎拍手（はくしゅ） Translation: clapping; applause ⚫︎手拍子（てびょうし） Translation: clapping one's hands; keeping time by clapping ⚫︎音楽の拍（おんがくのはく） Translation: the beat of music

The kanji 拍 is a phono-semantic compound. The left side is the radical 扌(てへん) (tehen), which means "hand" or "action done by hand." The right side is 白 (shira), which has the original meaning of "white" but serves phonetically here. The combination suggests an action done with the hand, specifically clapping or striking. The character evolved over time, solidifying its meaning of producing a sound through a hand movement.