挠

náo

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

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

Character focus

Stroke order

9 strokes

Reset Play Next stroke

Word relationships

Related words

2 items

• 抓 zhuā 抓 zhuā to grab Both involve using fingers or claws, but 挠 is often lighter, like scratching an itch.: to grab
• 阻止 zǔ zhǐ 阻止 zǔ zhǐ to prevent When 挠 means 'to thwart', 阻止 is a common word for 'to prevent'.: to prevent

Synonyms

1 item

• 屈服 qū fú 屈服 qū fú to surrender When 挠 means 'to yield', 屈服 is a close synonym for 'to surrender'.: 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 阻挠 zǔ náo: to thwart
• 不屈不挠 不屈不挠 bù qū bù náo: unyielding
• 屈挠 屈挠 qū náo: to surrender
• 抓挠 抓挠 zhuā nao: to scratch
• 抓耳挠腮 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 挠败 náo bài: defeated
• 挠曲 挠曲 náo qū: to bend
• 挠率 挠率 náo lǜ: the torsion (of a space curve)
• 挠痒痒 挠痒痒 náo yǎng yang: to tickle
• 挠裂 挠裂 náo liè: flex crack
• 挠钩 挠钩 náo gōu: iron hook at the end a long pole
• 挠头 挠头 náo tóu: tricky
• 痒痒挠 痒痒挠 yǎng yang náo: backscratcher (made from bamboo etc)
• 百折不挠 百折不挠 bǎi zhé bù náo: to keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks (idiom)