How to Write 招 (zhāo) — Meaning “To beckon / to recruit / to attract”

Imagine you are waving your hand (扌) to call a friend (召) because you want to recruit them for a party. The sound of 召 (zhào) is like "jaw" — picture your hand waving near your jaw as you shout "Come here!"

Pay attention to the stroke order: first the left radical 扌 (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right part 召 (top part 刀: horizontal fold hook, left stroke; then bottom 口: vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal). Keep the left side narrower and the right side wider. A common mistake is making the 刀 look like 力 — 刀 has a hook at the top right, while 力 has a hook after the left stroke.

Both use the 扌 radical, but their right sides are different. 招 has 召 (刀+口) and means to beckon or recruit. 托 has 乇 (a vertical stroke with a short horizontal line on top) and means to hold in the palm or to entrust. The character 㧜 is very rare and not used in modern Chinese.

招 is commonly used in words like 招聘 (to recruit employees), 招手 (to wave one's hand), and 招呼 (to greet or call out). In Chinese culture, 招手 with the palm facing down is considered more polite when calling someone from a distance.

Common words containing 招 include: 招手 (zhāo shǒu) — To wave one's hand; 招聘 (zhāo pìn) — To recruit / to hire; 招呼 (zhāo hū) — To greet / to call.