Meaning of 拐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to turn (a corner etc)
- to kidnap
- to swindle
- to misappropriate
- seven (used as a substitute for 七[qi1])
- variant of 枴|拐[guai3]
- cane
- walking stick
- crutch
- old man's staff
- variant of 枴|拐[guai3]
How to use 拐
In daily life 拐 (guǎi) most often means to turn when giving directions, and it often appears as 拐弯 (guǎiwān). It also means to kidnap or swindle, as in 诱拐 (yòuguǎi), and as a noun it appears in 拐杖 (guǎizhàng, walking stick). Example: 前面路口往左拐。(Qiánmiàn lùkǒu wǎng zuǒ guǎi.) Turn left at the next intersection.
拐 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and 另 (lìng, another) on the right. Picture a hand pulling you off toward another way, which is turning a corner, or in a bad sense, leading someone away.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 别 (bié) or 另 with extra strokes, but it is 另 (lìng), so check that it is 口 over 力. Also keep the third tone guǎi, not guài, which would sound like 怪 (strange).
拐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
拐 guǎi · to turn · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 拐.
Questions about 拐
What does 拐 mean?
拐 (guǎi) means "to turn (a corner etc); to kidnap" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 拐?
拐 is made of 1 character: 拐 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 拐 an HSK word?
Yes. 拐 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拐 and 转 for turning?
Both can mean turn in directions, as in 左拐 and 左转 (zuǒ zhuǎn). 拐 is more colloquial and common in northern speech, while 转 is more neutral and is also used for rotating or transferring.
Why is 拐 sometimes used to mean seven?
When reading numbers aloud, such as phone numbers, some speakers say 拐 (guǎi) for 七 (qī) to avoid confusing it with 一 (yī). It is an informal spoken habit, similar to saying 幺 (yāo) for one.