How to Write 抛 (pāo) — Meaning “to throw; to toss; to abandon”

Imagine your hand (扌) throwing a ball so hard that the person (尢) runs away in a curve. The right side looks like a bent figure moving away, helping you remember the 'throw away' or 'abandon' meaning.

Start with the left radical 扌 (three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, then lift). Then write the right side: first a horizontal stroke, then 九 (nine) but note the last stroke is a curved hook, not a vertical. A common mistake is writing the right part as 九 with a straight hook; the correct stroke bends left like a hook.

While both have the hand radical, 抛 means 'to throw or abandon' and its right part is 尢 (with a hook), whereas 扑 (pū) means 'to pat or rush at' and has 卜 (divination) on the right. Visually, 抛's right side is more complex with a curved bottom, while 扑 is simpler and shorter.

抛 appears in everyday words like 抛弃 (to abandon someone or something) and 抛球 (to throw a ball in sports). It can also be used metaphorically, such as 抛下 (to leave behind) or in idioms like 抛砖引玉 (to throw a brick to attract jade, meaning to offer a humble opinion to elicit better ones).

Common words containing 抛 include: 抛弃 (pāo qì) — to abandon; to discard; to desert; 抛球 (pāo qiú) — to throw a ball; 抛开 (pāo kāi) — to set aside; to cast away.