How to Write 刨 (bào/páo) — Meaning “To dig or plane.”

Picture a knife (刂) cutting into a "bag" or "bundle" (包) to dig out its contents. This image helps you associate the character with digging or planing, as if you are using a tool to remove material from a wrapped object.

Write the left component 包 first: start with the left-falling stroke (撇), then the horizontal hook, then the short curve (竖弯钩). Finish with the right radical 刂: a short vertical stroke followed by the downward hook (竖钩). Make sure the left side is slightly wider than the right, and keep the knife radical balanced below the center of 包.

刨 uses 包 on the left and means "to dig or plane." 刊 (kān) uses 干 (dry/do) and means "to print or publish," as in 刊登 (to publish in a newspaper). 刎 (wěn) uses 勿 (do not) and means "to cut the throat," seen in the word 自刎 (to commit suicide by cutting one's throat). The left components are completely different in meaning and shape.

When pronounced bào, 刨 appears in 刨子 (plane tool) and is used in woodworking — for example, "用刨子把木板刨平" (use a plane to flatten the wood). When pronounced páo, it means "to dig" as in 刨坑 (dig a hole) or metaphorically in 刨根问底 (to dig into the root of a matter, meaning to insistently ask for details). This character is less common in daily conversation but appears in technical or literary contexts.

Common words containing 刨 include: 刨坑 (páo kēng) — To dig a hole.; 刨根问底 (páo gēn wèn dǐ) — To get to the bottom of things or to inquire deeply; 刨子 (bào zǐ) — Plane (woodworking tool).