How to Write 钊 (zhāo) — Meaning “To encourage / To exert effort”

Imagine a metal (钅) knife (刂) used to cut through laziness and encourage someone to work harder. The metal blade stands for strength, and the cutting action represents the effort needed to motivate. This picture helps you link the components to the meaning "to encourage / to exert effort."

The left radical 钅 is written first with a narrow width, and its last stroke (竖提) should not extend too far to the right. The right side 刂 is written with a short vertical stroke followed by a longer vertical hook — make sure the hook is clear but not too big. A common mistake is making the left side too wide, so keep it slim to fit both parts neatly in one square.

钅 is just the metal radical and is not a standalone character, whereas 钊 is a full character with a knife radical on the right. 钆 (gá) looks similar because it also has 钅 on the left, but its right side is a simple hook stroke (乚) instead of the clear "knife" shape (刂). In usage, 钊 appears in names and means "to encourage," while 钆 is a chemical element (gadolinium) and has no connection to effort.

钊 is very rare in daily language and is not part of the HSK vocabulary; its main use is in personal names, most famously 李大钊 (Lǐ Dàzhāo), an important early Chinese communist leader. The character can also appear in classical or formal writing meaning "to encourage" or "to strive," but you will almost never see it in modern conversation or media outside of names. Knowing 钊 helps you recognize a historical figure and understand the idea of "exerting effort" embedded in his name.

Common words containing 钊 include: 名字 (míng zì) — Name; 勉钊 (miǎn zhāo) — to encourage and exert effort; 钊子 (zhāo zi) — Chisel / Cutting tool.