抄 meaning and stroke order
To make a copy; to plagiarize; to search and seize
How to write 抄, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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Meaning of 抄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to make a copy
- to plagiarize
- to search and seize
- to raid
- to grab
- to go off with
How 抄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 少 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 抄
抄 combines the hand radical 扌 with 少 (shǎo), which gives the sound. Picture a hand writing out a few lines from someone else's page: copying by hand.
抄 is most common in words about copying text, like 抄写 (chāoxiě) and 抄袭 (chāoxí), and it also means to take a shortcut in 抄近路 (chāojìnlù). Example: 老师让我们把课文抄三遍。(Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen bǎ kèwén chāo sān biàn.) The teacher had us copy the text three times.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 抄 (chāo) with 吵 (chǎo, noisy) and 炒 (chǎo, stir-fry), which share 少 but have different radicals and a third tone. Remember that the hand 扌 means the action of copying, and the tone is first tone.
Common words with 抄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
抄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 抄
How many strokes are in 抄?
抄 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 抄 mean?
抄 (chāo) means to make a copy; to plagiarize; to search and seize. A common word with it is 抄写 (chāoxiě), meaning "to copy; to transcribe".
How do you pronounce 抄?
抄 is pronounced chāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 抄?
The radical of 抄 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 抄 under this radical.
Is 抄 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 抄 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Is 抄 always negative, like cheating?
No. 抄写 (chāoxiě) is neutral and just means to copy out by hand, like practicing characters. 抄袭 (chāoxí) and 抄作业 (chāo zuòyè, copy someone's homework) carry the sense of cheating or plagiarism.
What does 抄近路 mean and how is it used?
抄近路 (chāojìnlù) means to take a shortcut. For example, 我们抄近路回家吧。(Wǒmen chāojìnlù huí jiā ba.) Let's take a shortcut home.