操

撡
cāo
#1,171 most
frequent character
old variant of 操[cao1]

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

操 uses 扌 hand with 喿 zào, which gives the sound. It first meant 'take and hold.' From there it grew to 'grasp, hold', 'operate, control', and 'exercise, drill.' Read cào, it is a slang word that grew from the same shape.

Ask DeepSeek

Same Characters, Different Readings

操cāo
to grasp, to hold, to operate
操cào
variant of 肏[cao4]

Homophones

操cāo
to grasp, to hold, to operate

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.