挠 (náo): to scratch, to thwart, to yield
挠 (náo) is a Chinese character meaning “to scratch.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (semantic) and 尧 (phonetic). It ranks #2626 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 挠 hand. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to scratch
- to thwart
- to yield
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 挠 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 阻挠verb | zǔ náo | to thwart |
| 不屈不挠phrase | bù qū bù náo | unyielding |
| 挠头 | náo tóu | tricky |
| 百折不挠phrase | bǎi zhé bù náo | to keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks (idiom) |
| 干挠 | gān náo | variant of 干擾|干扰, to interfere |
| 抓耳挠腮 | zhuā ěr náo sāi | to tweak one's ears and scratch one's cheeks (as an expression of anxiety, delight, frustration etc) (idiom) |
| 挠率 | náo lǜ | the torsion (of a space curve) |
| 挠败 | náo bài | defeated |
| 抓挠verb | zhuā nao | to scratch |
| 挠曲 | náo qū | to bend |
| 挠裂 | náo liè | split due to repeated folding |
| 屈挠verb | qū náo | to surrender |
| 挠钩 | náo gōu | iron hook at the end a long pole |
| 挠痒痒verb | náo yǎng yang | to tickle |
| 痒痒挠 | yǎng yang náo | backscratcher (made from bamboo etc) |
挠 appears in 15 compound words: 47 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 7 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 挠 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
indomitable; unfazed by difficulties or challenges; (slightly derogatory) stubborn; persistent
indomitable; unfazed by difficulties or challenges; (slightly derogatory) stubborn; persistent
Example Sentences
他挠了一个电话，约朋友晚上一起吃饭。
tā náo le yī gě diàn huà , yāo péng yǒu wǎn shǎng yī qǐ chī fàn .
He made a phone call to arrange dinner with a friend that evening.
这种不屈不挠的斗志，正是“蓝鲨精神”的最佳体现。
zhè zhǒng bù qū bù náo de dǒu zhì , zhèng shì lán shā jīng shén de zuì jiā tǐ xiàn .
This indomitable fighting spirit is the very embodiment of the “Blue Shark Spirit.”
不断循环探寻中，他揭开了一个借阻挠取经改变历史的阴谋。
bù duàn xún huán tàn xún zhōng , tā jiē kāi le yī gè jiè zǔ náo qǔ jīng gǎi biàn lì shǐ de yīn móu .
Through his relentless search, he uncovered a plot to alter history by obstructing the journey to obtain the scriptures.
这些 PC 玩家司空见惯的问题，一旦进入客厅场景，就会让人抓耳挠腮。
zhè xiē P C wán jiā sī kōng jiàn guàn de wèn tí , yī dàn jìn rù kè tīng chǎng jǐng , jiù huì ràng rén zhuā ěr náo 腮 .
These issues, which are commonplace for PC gamers, can be a real headache once they’re brought into the living room setting.
高庭撤销禁拆万挠兴都庙裁决 庙宇律师:已提起上诉
gāo tíng chè xiāo jīn chāi wàn náo xīng dōu miào cái jué miào yǔ lǜ shī : yǐ tí qǐ shàng sù
High Court Overturns Ruling Banning Demolition of Wan Rao Hindu Temple; Temple's Lawyer: Appeal Filed
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 挠 (náo) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 挠 and 烧?
How many strokes does 挠 have?
What is the radical of 挠?
What are the components of 挠?
What are common words containing 挠?
What characters sound the same as 挠 (náo)?
Is 挠 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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