How to Write 拗 (ǎo/ào/niù) — Meaning “To bend / to snap / stubborn”

Imagine a hand (扌) grabbing a young (幼) branch and twisting it until it snaps. When the branch snaps, it is 拗 (bent or broken). This picture connects the shape and meaning clearly.

Write the left radical 扌 first with three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, and a short lift. The right side 幼 has a top part 幺 (two left-falling strokes then a vertical) and a bottom 力 (power). Be careful not to make the right side too wide, and keep the strokes balanced.

拗 has the right part 幼 (young), while 托 has 乇 (a simple vertical hook line). 拗 means to bend or be stubborn; 托 means to hold or entrust. The rare character 㧜 is not used in modern Chinese, so you only need to focus on 拗 and 托.

拗 appears in words like 执拗 (stubborn), 别拗 (don't be stubborn), and 拗口 (hard to pronounce). For example, 拗口 describes a phrase that is difficult to say, like a tongue twister. It is not a common character but useful when talking about personality or pronunciation.

Common words containing 拗 include: 执拗 (zhí niù) — stubborn; 别拗 (bié ǎo) — Don't be stubborn; 拗口 (ào kǒu) — Hard to pronounce / tongue-twisting.