How to Write 拷 (kǎo) — Meaning “to interrogate under torture; to copy”

Picture a pair of handcuffs (扌) attached to a person who is being given a 'test' (考) they cannot pass — this test is torture. For the copy meaning, imagine your hand (扌) making a duplicate of an exam paper (考).

The left radical 扌 must be narrower and taller, with the horizontal stroke lifting slightly before the hook. The right part 考 has a long diagonal stroke that starts high and cuts through the center, and the bottom curved hook should be balanced. A common mistake is making the right side too wide, so keep it compact.

冫 扭 (niǔ) means 'to twist' or 'to turn', and has 丑 (chǒu) on the right, while 拷 uses 考 (kǎo). Visually, 扭's right side has a horizontal stroke and a vertical stroke with a notch, whereas 拷's right side has a long downward diagonal. Meanings differ: 扭 is about twisting, 拷 about torture or copying.

拷 appears most often in the word 拷贝 (kǎo bèi), meaning 'to copy', borrowed from English 'copy' via sound. It also shows up in serious contexts like 拷问 (interrogate with torture) and 拷打 (beat and torture), which are used in legal or historical discussions but rarely in daily conversation.

Common words containing 拷 include: 拷贝 (kǎo bèi) — to copy (transliteration); 拷问 (kǎo wèn) — to interrogate under torture; 拷打 (kǎo dǎ) — to beat and torture.