How to Write 操 (cāo) — Meaning “to exercise; to operate”

Imagine using your hand (扌) to operate a machine while three mouths (品) above a tree (木) give you noisy instructions. The three mouths remind you that 操 involves multiple steps or voices, like in a workout or operation.

The right side 喿 has three mouths stacked vertically (口口口) above a 木, so write each mouth smaller and centered, with the bottom 木 wider. A common mistake is making the middle mouth too large or forgetting the horizontal line in 木.

操 has 喿 on the right (three mouths over a tree), while 摔 has 率 (a different, more complex shape), and 摘 has 啇 (resembling 商 but with a different top). For meaning, 操 is about exercise or operation, 摔 means "to fall," and 摘 means "to pick" (like fruit).

操 is very common in everyday words like 操作 (to operate a machine or software) and 操心 (to worry or take trouble for someone). It also appears in 体操 (gymnastics), a popular sport in China including school exercises and Olympic events.

Common words containing 操 include: 操作 (cāo zuò) — to operate; 操心 (cāo xīn) — to worry; to take trouble; 体操 (tǐ cāo) — gymnastics.