摇 meaning in English

yáo

to shake; to rock

HSK 4verbTraditional 搖13 strokes

Meaning of 摇

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yáo

to shake
to rock
to row
to crank

Yáo

surname Yao

How to use 摇

摇 is used for shaking or rocking something back and forth, like a head, a bottle, a boat, or a crank handle. It often appears in compounds such as 摇头 (yáotóu) and 摇晃 (yáohuàng). Example: 他摇了摇头。(Tā yáo le yáo tóu.) He shook his head.

摇 (yáo) has the hand radical 扌 on the left, so it is an action done with the hand. Picture your hand gripping a jar on the right side and shaking it back and forth.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 摇 (yáo) with 遥 (yáo, far) and 谣 (yáo, rumor), which share the same right side and sound. Only 摇 has the hand radical 扌, so use it when there is physical shaking.

摇 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

鲍bào伯bó失shī去qù了le对duì摇yáo滚gǔn音yīn乐yuè的de兴xìng趣qù。

Bob lost interest in rock music.

狗gǒu跟gēn着zhe主zhǔ人rén，摇yáo着zhe尾wěi巴ba。

The dog followed its owner, wagging its tail.

我wǒ在zài一yī支zhī迷mí幻huàn摇yáo滚gǔn乐yuè团tuán里lǐ弹dàn吉jí他tā。

I play guitar in a psychedelic rock band.

我wǒ感gǎn到dào房fáng子zi在zài摇yáo动dòng。

I felt the house shake.

汤tāng姆mǔ只zhǐ是shì摇yáo摇yáo头tóu。

Tom just shook his head.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

摇 yáo · to shake · 13 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 摇.

动摇	dòngyáo	to sway; to waver
摇头	yáotóu	to shake one's head
摇滚	yáogǔn	rock 'n' roll (music); to rock
摇摆	yáobǎi	to sway; to wobble
摇晃	yáohuàng	to rock; to shake; to sway
摇篮	yáolán	cradle (for a baby); (fig.) cradle; birthplace (of a civilization, movement etc)
摇摇欲坠	yáoyáo-yùzhuì	tottering; on the verge of collapse
摇滚乐	yáogǔnyuè	rock music; rock 'n roll
摇动	yáodòng	to shake; to sway
大摇大摆	dàyáodàbǎi	to strut; swaggering
摇头丸	yáotóuwán	Ecstasy; MDMA
摇篮曲	yáolánqǔ	lullaby

Questions about 摇

What does 摇 mean?

摇 (yáo) means "to shake; to rock" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 摇?

摇 is made of 1 character: 摇 (13 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.

Is 摇 an HSK word?

Yes. 摇 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 摇 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 摇 is written 搖.

What is the difference between 摇 and 晃?

摇 (yáo) usually means actively shaking or rocking something on purpose, like 摇头 (yáotóu). 晃 (huàng) often describes something swaying or wobbling unsteadily. Together, 摇晃 (yáohuàng) covers both ideas.

How do you say nod and shake your head in Chinese?

To shake your head is 摇头 (yáotóu), which usually means no or disapproval. To nod is 点头 (diǎntóu), which usually means yes or agreement.