How to Write 控 (kòng) — Meaning “to control / to accuse”

Imagine your hand (扌) holding a remote control (遥控) that is empty (空) of batteries — you still control the TV. Another trick: picture a hand pointing at an empty space to accuse someone of taking something. The key is linking the hand to the empty shape on the right.

Write the hand radical 扌 first with a short horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook, and a lift. The right part 空 starts with a roof (穴: dot, dot, hook, left-falling, dot) and ends with 工 (two horizontal lines and a vertical). A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep the 工 narrow and centered under the roof.

控 uses 扌 + 空 and means to control or accuse. 拜 (bài) has two hand radicals side by side and means to worship or bow. 括 (kuò) uses 扌 + 舌 (tongue) and means to include or tie together. Visually, 空 has a "cave" roof (穴) over 工, 括 has a tongue shape, and 拜 has doubled hands.

控 appears in common words like 控制 (control), 遥控 (remote control), and 监控 (surveillance). It is also used in legal contexts for "to accuse" (指控). In internet slang, 控 can mean a person obsessed with something, like 猫控 for a cat lover — a playful extension of "control" as being controlled by a passion.

Common words containing 控 include: 控制 (kòng zhì) — to control; 遥控 (yáo kòng) — Remote control.; 监控 (jiān kòng) — to monitor / surveillance.