How to Write 挠 (náo) — Meaning “scratch; hinder”

Think of a hand (扌) scratching a high (尧) itch on your head. The top part of 尧 looks like a person with a slanted hook arm reaching up to scratch.

Write the left radical 扌 first with three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, lift. Then write the right part 尧: start with the horizontal stroke, then the slanted hook, then two horizontal strokes, and finally a vertical hook. Common mistake is to confuse the slanted hook with a straight hook.

挠 (náo) means to scratch or hinder, while 扭 (niǔ) means to twist or wring. Visually, 挠 has 尧 on the right with a slanted hook, while 扭 has 丑 on the right with a horizontal fold. The pronunciation and tones are also different.

You often see 挠 in phrases like 挠头 (scratch one's head) when someone is puzzled or 挠痒 (scratch an itch). The word 阻挠 (to obstruct) is common in formal contexts like news about obstacles. Scratching the head is a universal gesture of confusion.

Common words containing 挠 include: 挠头 (náo tóu) — scratch one's head; feel puzzled; 挠痒 (náo yǎng) — scratch an itch; 阻挠 (zǔ náo) — to thwart; to obstruct.