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挠

náo
HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

  1. 1. to scratch
  2. 2. to thwart
  3. 3. to yield

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Character focus

Stroke order

9 strokes

Word relationships

Related words

2 items
抓
zhuā

to grab

Both involve using fingers or claws, but 挠 is often lighter, like scratching an itch.
阻止
zǔ zhǐ

to prevent

When 挠 means 'to thwart', 阻止 is a common word for 'to prevent'.

Synonyms

1 item
屈服
qū fú

to surrender

When 挠 means 'to yield', 屈服 is a close synonym for 'to surrender'.

Usage notes

Collocations

In the phrase 百折不挠 (bǎi zhé bù náo), 挠 means 'yield' or 'give up', not 'scratch'.

Common mistakes

挠 is easily confused with 绕 (rào). 挠 means scratch or thwart; 绕 means to wind or go around.

Example Sentences

2 shown
我的后背很痒，可以帮我 挠 一下吗？
My back is very itchy, could you scratch it for me?
她 挠 了 挠 头。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 4147341)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 挠

阻挠
zǔ náo

to thwart

不屈不挠
bù qū bù náo

unyielding

屈挠
qū náo

to surrender

抓挠
zhuā nao

to scratch

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)

挠败
náo bài

defeated

挠曲
náo qū

to bend

挠率
náo lǜ

the torsion (of a space curve)

挠痒痒
náo yǎng yang

to tickle

挠裂
náo liè

flex crack

挠钩
náo gōu

iron hook at the end a long pole

挠头
náo tóu

tricky

痒痒挠
yǎng yang náo

backscratcher (made from bamboo etc)

百折不挠
bǎi zhé bù náo

to keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks (idiom)