How to Write 挢 (jiǎo) — Meaning “correct; lift”

Imagine your hand (扌) lifting a tall pole (乔) to make it perfectly straight. This visual of correcting a pole's position by lifting it helps you recall that 挢 means both "lift" and "correct."

Write the hand radical 扌 first (three strokes), then the right part 乔 (six strokes). A common mistake is confusing 乔 with 夭 (yāo) — note that 乔 has a downward left-falling stroke (撇) at the top, followed by a horizontal stroke, then another left-falling stroke. Keep the overall shape balanced, with the right side slightly taller than the left.

扭 (niǔ) uses the radical 扌 with 丑 (ugly) on the right and means "to twist" or "turn." 挢 uses 乔 (tall) instead and means "lift" or "correct." The character 㧜 is extremely rare and not standard in modern Chinese; it looks similar but has no common usage, so focus on distinguishing 挢 from 扭 by the right-side component.

挢 is mostly found in classical or literary expressions, not in everyday speech. Common phrases include 挢舌 (jiǎo shé, tongue-tied with amazement) and 挢然 (jiǎo rán, upright or outstanding). You might encounter 挢 in written descriptions of surprise or moral integrity, but it is not used in casual conversation.

Common words containing 挢 include: 挢舌 (jiǎo shé) — tongue-tied with amazement; 挢首 (jiǎo shǒu) — raise one's head; 挢然 (jiǎo rán) — upright; outstanding.