搖 meaning and stroke order
To rock, to shake; to swing, to wave
How to write 搖, stroke by stroke
13 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
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
Meaning of 搖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to shake
- to rock
- to row
- to crank
How 搖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 䍃 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 搖
The hand radical 扌 on the left shows the action is done by hand, and 䍃 (yáo) on the right gives the sound. Picture a hand grabbing something and shaking it back and forth.
搖 is the traditional form; simplified Chinese writes 摇, and the common words listed use that form. It appears in everyday words like 摇头 (yáotóu, to shake one's head) and 摇晃 (yáohuàng, to sway). Example: 他搖了搖頭。(Tā yáo le yáo tóu.) He shook his head.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 搖 (yáo, to shake) with 遙 (yáo, far) and 謠 (yáo, rumor), which share the same right side and sound. Check the left part: the hand 扌 means a hand action, 辶 means distance, and 言 means speech.
Common words with 搖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 動搖 | dòngyáo | to sway; to waver | HSK 4 |
| 搖頭 | yáotóu | to shake one's head | HSK 5 |
| 搖滾 | yáogǔn | rock 'n' roll (music); to rock | HSK 7-9 |
| 搖擺 | yáobǎi | to sway; to wobble | HSK 7-9 |
| 搖晃 | yáohuàng | to rock; to shake; to sway | HSK 7-9 |
| 搖籃 | yáolán | cradle (for a baby); (fig.) cradle; birthplace (of a civilization, movement etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 搖搖欲墜 | yáoyáo-yùzhuì | tottering; on the verge of collapse | HSK 7-9 |
| 搖滾樂 | yáogǔnyuè | rock music; rock 'n roll | |
| 搖動 | yáodòng | to shake; to sway | |
| 大搖大擺 | dàyáodàbǎi | to strut; swaggering | |
| 搖頭丸 | yáotóuwán | Ecstasy; MDMA | |
| 搖籃曲 | yáolánqǔ | lullaby | |
| 招搖 | zhāoyáo | to rock back and forth; (fig.) to act ostentatiously | |
| 搖曳 | yáoyè | to sway gently (as in the wind); (of a flame) to flicker |
Questions about 搖
How many strokes are in 搖?
搖 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 搖 mean?
搖 (yáo) means to rock, to shake; to swing, to wave. A common word with it is 动摇 (dòngyáo), meaning "to sway; to waver".
How do you pronounce 搖?
搖 is pronounced yáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 搖?
The radical of 搖 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 搖 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 搖?
搖 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 摇, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 搖 and 晃 (huàng)?
搖 usually means actively shaking or waving something, like 搖手 (to wave a hand). 晃 (huàng) often describes something swaying or unsteady on its own. Together they form 摇晃 (yáohuàng), to rock or sway.
Why does 搖滾 mean rock music?
搖滾 (yáogǔn) combines 搖 (to rock, to shake) and 滾 (to roll), a direct translation of rock 'n' roll. Add 乐 (yuè, music) to get 摇滚乐 (yáogǔnyuè), rock music.