挝 meaning and stroke order
To beat; to strike
How to write 挝, 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 挝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used 老撾|老挝[Lao3 wo1]
- ancient weapon with a tip shaped like a hand or claw
- old variant of 抓[zhua1]
- to strike; to beat
How 挝 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 过 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 挝
The hand radical 扌 shows an action done by hand, and 过 (guò) gives the sound. Picture a hand passing over (过) something to strike it, which matches the old meaning 'to beat'.
Today 挝 is almost only seen in the country name 老挝 (Lǎowō), Laos. Example: 我明年想去老挝旅游。(Wǒ míngnián xiǎng qù Lǎowō lǚyóu.) I want to travel to Laos next year.
Common mistake: Learners often read 挝 as guò because of the phonetic part 过, but in 老挝 it is wō. Also do not mix it up with 过 itself; 挝 always has the hand radical 扌 on the left.
挝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 挝
How many strokes are in 挝?
挝 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 挝 mean?
挝 (wō) means to beat; to strike.
How do you pronounce 挝?
挝 is pronounced wō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 挝?
The radical of 挝 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 挝 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 挝?
The traditional form of 挝 is 撾. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 挝 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 挝 pronounced wō or zhuā?
In modern use, read it wō, as in 老挝 (Lǎowō). The reading zhuā belongs to older senses like 'to strike' or an ancient claw-shaped weapon, and as an old variant of 抓 (zhuā).
Can I use 挝 to mean 'hit' in everyday speech?
Not really. The 'to beat' meaning is classical and rare today. For hitting, people say 打 (dǎ) instead.