絞 meaning and stroke order
Intertwined; to twist, to wring; to hang a criminal
How to write 絞, stroke by stroke
12 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 絞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to twist (strands into a thread)
- to entangle
- to wring
- to hang (by the neck)
- to turn
- to wind
How 絞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
糹 gives the meaning and 交 hints at the sound.
Radical: 糹 (silk), shared by 126 characters on this site.
How to remember 絞
The silk radical 糹 means thread, and 交 (jiāo) means to cross or meet. Picture threads crossing over each other again and again until they twist together, which is 絞 (jiǎo), to twist or wring. 交 also hints at the sound.
絞 is the traditional form. Simplified Chinese writes it 绞. It appears in words about twisting, wringing, and execution by hanging. A very common idiom is 绞尽脑汁 (jiǎo jìn nǎozhī), to rack one's brains: 我绞尽脑汁也想不出答案。(Wǒ jiǎo jìn nǎozhī yě xiǎng bù chū dá'àn.) I racked my brains but couldn't think of the answer.
Common mistake: Learners often read 絞 with the first tone like its phonetic part 交 (jiāo), but it is third tone, jiǎo. It is also easy to confuse with 校 (xiào) or 较 (jiào), which share 交 but have different radicals and meanings.
Common words with 絞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 絞死 | jiǎosǐ | to hang (i.e. execute by hanging); to strangle | |
| 絞刑 | jiǎoxíng | to execute by hanging | |
| 絞盡腦汁 | jiǎojìnnǎozhī | to rack one's brains | |
| 絞刑架 | jiǎoxíngjià | gibbet; hanging post |
Questions about 絞
How many strokes are in 絞?
絞 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 絞 mean?
絞 (jiǎo) means intertwined; to twist, to wring; to hang a criminal. A common word with it is 绞死 (jiǎosǐ), meaning "to hang (i.e. execute by hanging); to strangle".
How do you pronounce 絞?
絞 is pronounced jiǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 絞?
The radical of 絞 is 糹, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 絞 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 絞?
絞 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 绞, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say to wring out a towel in Chinese?
You can say 绞毛巾 (jiǎo máojīn) or 拧毛巾 (nǐng máojīn). 拧 is more common in everyday northern speech, but 绞 is also widely understood.
What is the difference between 绞死 and 吊死?
绞死 (jiǎosǐ) usually refers to execution by hanging or strangling, often in a legal or formal context. 吊死 (diàosǐ) more generally means to die by hanging and is often used for suicide.