搞 meaning and stroke order
To do; to make; to go in for
How to write 搞, 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.
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Meaning of 搞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to do
- to make
- to go in for
- to set up
- to get hold of
- to take care of
How 搞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 高 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 搞
搞 (gǎo) is a hand 扌 next to 高 (gāo, tall), which gives the sound. Picture your hand reaching up high to get something done.
搞 is a very common, casual verb that can replace many specific verbs like do, make, or handle, especially in spoken Chinese. It appears in lots of everyday combinations such as 搞定 (gǎodìng) and 搞错 (gǎocuò). Example: 别担心，我来搞定。(Bié dānxīn, wǒ lái gǎodìng.) Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
Common mistake: Learners often write 稿 (gǎo, draft) or 槁 (gǎo, withered) by mistake, since they share 高 and the same sound. Only 搞 has the hand radical 扌, matching its meaning of doing something with your hands. Also remember the third tone gǎo, not the first tone gāo of 高.
Common words with 搞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 搞好 | gǎohǎo | to do well at; to do a good job | HSK 5 |
| 搞笑 | gǎoxiào | to get people to laugh; funny | HSK 7-9 |
| 搞鬼 | gǎoguǐ | to make mischief; to play tricks | HSK 7-9 |
| 搞定 | gǎodìng | to fix; to settle | |
| 搞砸 | gǎozá | to mess (sth) up; to foul up | |
| 搞错 | gǎocuò | mistake; to make a mistake | |
| 搞不懂 | gǎobudǒng | unable to make sense of (sth) | |
| 搞不好 | gǎobuhǎo | (coll.) maybe; perhaps | |
| 乱搞 | luàngǎo | to make a mess; to mess with | |
| 难搞 | nángǎo | hard to deal with; hard to get along with | |
| 搞混 | gǎohùn | to confuse; to muddle | |
| 搞乱 | gǎoluàn | to mess up; to mismanage | |
| 搞掂 | gǎodiān | to get sth done; to sort sth out (from Cantonese) | |
| 胡搞 | húgǎo | to mess around; to mess with something |
搞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 搞
How many strokes are in 搞?
搞 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 搞 mean?
搞 (gǎo) means to do; to make; to go in for. A common word with it is 搞好 (gǎohǎo), meaning "to do well at; to do a good job".
How do you pronounce 搞?
搞 is pronounced gǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 搞?
The radical of 搞 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 搞 under this radical.
Is 搞 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 搞 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Is 搞 too informal for writing?
搞 is mostly colloquial and fine in speech, chats, and casual writing. In formal writing, people often choose a more precise verb such as 做 (zuò), 进行 (jìnxíng), or 处理 (chǔlǐ).
What does 搞不好 mean, since it does not mean 'cannot do well'?
In casual speech 搞不好 (gǎobuhǎo) usually means 'maybe' or 'it could be that', often hinting at a bad outcome. For example, 搞不好要下雨 (gǎobuhǎo yào xià yǔ) means 'it might rain'.