How to Write 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng) — Meaning “to twist; to wring”

Q: How can I remember the character 拧 with a mnemonic?

Imagine your hand (扌) is wringing water out of a cloth until it is "dry" — and the right side 宁 sounds like "ning" which reminds you of the twisting motion. So just think: "Hand makes a twisting 'ning' sound."

Q: What are the writing tips for 拧, especially stroke order and common mistakes?

Write the left radical 扌 first (horizontal, hook, vertical), then the right side 宁: dot, dot, horizontal hook, horizontal, vertical. A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep it compact and balanced with the left hand radical.

Q: How is 拧 different from the similar characters 托 and 㧜?

托 (tuō) means "to support with the palm" — the right side is 乇 (tuō), while 拧 uses 宁. 㧜 is a rare character meaning "to grasp," but it is not commonly used. In contrast, 拧 specifically means twisting or wringing with a hand.

Q: When and how is 拧 used in modern Chinese?

拧 is used for twisting actions like wringing clothes dry (拧干) or tightening a screw (拧螺丝). You also see it in everyday phrases like 拧紧瓶盖 (nǐng jǐn píng gài) meaning "tighten the bottle cap."

Q: What common words use 拧?

Common words containing 拧 include: 拧干 (níng gàn) — to wring dry; 拧螺丝 (níng luó sī) — to tighten a screw; 拧紧 (nǐng jǐn) — to tighten.

níng/nǐng/nìng HSK Level 7 8 strokes Radical: 扌

拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng) means "to twist; to wring" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 扌, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 26% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 5+ common words including 拧干 (níng gàn), 拧螺丝 (níng luó sī), 拧紧 (nǐng jǐn).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 拧 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 拧 - níng/nǐng/nìng

Practice Writing 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 拧 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 拧

The character 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 扌 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does níng/nǐng/nìng (拧) Mean in Chinese?

拧 means to twist; to wring.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: níng, nǐng, nìng.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 拧 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character	拧
Pinyin	níng / nǐng / nìng (ning)
Meaning	to twist; to wring
Strokes	8
Radical	扌
HSK Level	7
Difficulty	3.7/5

Origin of 拧

拧 is a phono-semantic compound: the left radical 扌 (hand) indicates twisting or wringing is a manual action, while the right component 宁 (níng, meaning 'peace') provides the sound and is not related to the meaning. The character suggests using your hand to twist something tightly, like wringing water from a cloth.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a hand (扌) twisting a cloth so hard that the knot ties itself into a perfect peace sign (宁).

Common Words with 拧

拧干 níng gàn

to wring dry

拧螺丝 níng luó sī

to tighten a screw

拧紧 nǐng jǐn

to tighten

拧开 níng kāi

To unscrew / to twist open.

拧脾气 nìng pí qi

Stubborn temperament.

Example Sentences

请帮我把这条湿毛巾拧干，谢谢。

qǐng bāng wǒ bǎ zhè tiáo shī máo jīn níng gàn xiè xiè

Please help me wring out this wet towel, thank you.

爸爸正在阳台上用扳手拧螺丝，修理椅子。

bà bà zhèng zài yáng tái shàng yòng bān shǒu níng luó sī xiū lǐ yǐ zi

Dad is using a wrench to tighten screws on the balcony to fix a chair.

请把瓶盖拧紧。

qǐng bǎ píng gài nǐng jǐn 。

Please screw the bottle cap on tightly.

请把瓶盖拧开。

qǐng bǎ píng gài níng kāi 。

Please unscrew the bottle cap.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
拧 (current)	níng / nǐng / nìng	8	扌
托	tuō	6	扌
扛	gāng / káng	6	扌
扢	gǔ	6	扌

Practice Writing 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 拧 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 拧

What are the components of 拧 and how do they relate to its meaning?

The character 拧 is made of the radical 扌 (hand) on the left, which suggests a hand action, and 宁 (níng) on the right, which gives the sound. The combination indicates using the hand to twist or wring something.

How can I remember the character 拧 with a mnemonic?

What are the writing tips for 拧, especially stroke order and common mistakes?

How is 拧 different from the similar characters 托 and 㧜?

When and how is 拧 used in modern Chinese?

What common words use 拧?

How to Write 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng) — Meaning “to twist; to wring”

Practice Writing 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng)

How to Write 拧

What Does níng/nǐng/nìng (拧) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 拧

Common Words with 拧

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 拧 (níng/nǐng/nìng)

Frequently Asked Questions about 拧

More HSK Level 7 Characters

Characters with Radical 扌

Other 8-Stroke Characters