扭 (niǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to twist”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 丑 (ugly; clown), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to twist”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 丑
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 构形核验（现代字形 ⿰扌丑；笔画 扌3 + 丑4 = 7，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺数据一致）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) grabs hold and wrenches until the shape goes 丑 — ugly, bent out of line. Hand plus ugly: 扭, to twist something out of shape.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 扭伤niǔ shāngto sprain; a sprain扭 = niǔ
- 扭转niǔ zhuǎnto turn around; to reverse (a situation)扭 = niǔspoken asniú zhuǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to twist
to twist; to wrench; to sprain; to turn (one's body or a situation) around
用手转动或拧转；转动身体；也指关节因猛然转动而受伤。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 扭伤niǔ shāngto sprain; a sprain扭 = niǔ
- 扭转niǔ zhuǎnto turn around; to reverse (a situation)扭 = niǔspoken asniú zhuǎn
Sound component
丑 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 扭 mean?
扭 (niǔ) means to twist; to wrench; to sprain; to turn (one's body or a situation) around.
How do you pronounce 扭?
It is pronounced niǔ.
What parts is 扭 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 丑 (ugly; clown), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 构形核验（现代字形 ⿰扌丑；笔画 扌3 + 丑4 = 7，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺数据一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 扭 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 扭?
扌. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 扭?
Common ones are 扭伤 and 扭转. The reading of 扭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.