How to Write 挝 (wō) — Meaning “beat; strike”

Imagine you use your hand (扌) to beat a wok (sounds like wō) in the kitchen – that striking action is 挝. Alternatively, think of the country name 老挝 (Laos) and picture a hand striking a gong to celebrate a festival there.

Write the left radical 扌 first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right part 过: first write 寸 (horizontal, vertical hook, dot), then the walk radical 辶 (dot, horizontal fold, flat stroke). A common mistake is making the vertical hook in 寸 too straight without a slight curve, or misplacing the dot above 辶.

The character 扭 (niǔ) means "twist" and has the right side 丑 (chǒu), while 挝 has the right side 过 (cùn + 辶). Visually, 扭 looks like a hand twisting something ugly, whereas 挝 looks like a hand striking a cross-shaped object. The character 㧜 is very rare and has a different right component; focus on the common pair 挝 vs 扭.

In modern Chinese, 挝 (wō) is almost always part of the country name 老挝 (Lǎowō), meaning Laos. You will see it in 老挝人 (Lǎowō rén, Laotian person) and 老挝语 (Lǎowō yǔ, Lao language). Its original meaning "to beat" is very rare today, so focus on its geographical use.

Common words containing 挝 include: 老挝 (lǎo wō) — Laos; 老挝人 (lǎo wō rén) — Laotian; 老挝语 (lǎo wō yǔ) — Lao language.