拷 meaning and stroke order
To torture, to interrogate; to beat, to flog
How to write 拷, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 拷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to beat
- to flog
- to examine under torture
- (computing) to copy (abbr. for 拷貝|拷贝[kao3 bei4])
How 拷 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To question 考 by hand 扌; 考 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拷
拷 combines the hand radical 扌 with 考 (kǎo), meaning to test or question. Picture someone questioning a prisoner with their hands, not just words, and you get the idea of interrogating under torture.
In everyday modern Chinese, 拷 most often appears in 拷贝 (kǎobèi), a loanword for copying files or data. The torture sense shows up in 拷问 (kǎowèn) and 拷打 (kǎodǎ), mostly in history, crime stories and news. Example: 把这个文件拷到U盘上。(Bǎ zhège wénjiàn kǎo dào U pán shang.) Copy this file onto the USB drive.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 拷 with 考 (kǎo, to test) and 烤 (kǎo, to roast), which share the same sound and the 考 part. Remember: hand 扌 for beating or copying, fire 火 for roasting, and no radical for exams.
Common words with 拷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 拷问 | kǎowèn | to question via torture | |
| 拷贝 | kǎobèi | copy; to copy (loanword) | |
| 拷打 | kǎodǎ | to beat a prisoner (to obtain confessions); to give sb the third degree | |
| 严刑拷打 | yánxíngkǎodǎ | torture; interrogation by torture |
拷 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拷
How many strokes are in 拷?
拷 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 拷 mean?
拷 (kǎo) means to torture, to interrogate; to beat, to flog. A common word with it is 拷问 (kǎowèn), meaning "to question via torture".
How do you pronounce 拷?
拷 is pronounced kǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 拷?
The radical of 拷 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拷 under this radical.
Why does 拷 mean both torture and copy?
The copy meaning comes from 拷贝 (kǎobèi), which imitates the sound of the English word copy. The characters were chosen for sound, so the copy sense has nothing to do with the original meaning of beating.
Can I use 拷 alone to mean copy?
Yes, in casual speech people say things like 拷一下 (kǎo yíxià) or 拷给我 (kǎo gěi wǒ) to mean copy something for me. In formal writing, 复制 (fùzhì) or 拷贝 is more common.