招 meaning and stroke order
To recruit; to provoke; to beckon
How to write 招, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 招
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to recruit
- to provoke
- to beckon
- to incur
- to infect
- contagious
How 招 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A call 召 to arms 扌; 召 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 招
招 combines the hand radical 扌 with 召 (zhào), which means to call. Picture a hand waving while you call someone over, and you have 招 (zhāo), to beckon or summon.
招 appears mostly in compound words about calling people in, such as 招聘 (zhāopìn) for hiring staff and 招生 (zhāoshēng) for enrolling students. It can also mean to bring something unwanted on yourself, like attracting trouble. Example: 他向我招手。(Tā xiàng wǒ zhāoshǒu.) He waved at me.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 招 with 照 (zhào, to shine or photograph) or with its own component 召 (zhào). Remember that 招 has the hand radical 扌 and takes the first tone zhāo, not the fourth tone zhào.
Common words with 招
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 招呼 | zhāohu | to call out to; to greet | HSK 4 |
| 招手 | zhāoshǒu | to wave; to beckon | HSK 5 |
| 招生 | zhāoshēng | to enroll new students; to get students | HSK 5 |
| 招聘 | zhāopìn | to invite applications for a job; to recruit | HSK 6 |
| 招待 | zhāodài | to hold a reception; to offer hospitality; to entertain (guests); to serve (customers) | HSK 7-9 |
| 打招呼 | dǎ zhāohu | to greet sb by word or action; to give prior notice | HSK 7-9 |
| 招募 | zhāomù | to recruit; to enlist | HSK 7-9 |
| 招牌 | zhāopai | signboard; shop sign | HSK 7-9 |
| 招待会 | zhāodàihuì | a reception | HSK 7-9 |
| 招数 | zhāoshù | move (in chess, on stage, in martial arts); gambit | HSK 7-9 |
| 绝招 | juézhāo | unique skill; unexpected tricky move (as a last resort) | HSK 7-9 |
| 招揽 | zhāolǎn | to attract (customers); to drum up (trade) | HSK 7-9 |
| 招标 | zhāobiāo | to invite bids | HSK 7-9 |
| 招收 | zhāoshōu | to hire; to recruit | HSK 7-9 |
招 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 招
How many strokes are in 招?
招 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 招 mean?
招 (zhāo) means to recruit; to provoke; to beckon. A common word with it is 招呼 (zhāohu), meaning "to call out to; to greet".
How do you pronounce 招?
招 is pronounced zhāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 招?
The radical of 招 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 招 under this radical.
Is 招 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 招 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.
What does 打招呼 mean and when do I use it?
打招呼 (dǎ zhāohu) means to greet someone, by saying hello or with a nod or wave. It can also mean to give someone a heads-up in advance, as in 先跟他打个招呼 (first let him know).
How can 招 mean to provoke or incur?
The idea of calling something toward you extends to attracting bad things. For example, 招人讨厌 (zhāo rén tǎoyàn) means to make people dislike you, and 招蚊子 means to attract mosquitoes.