抄

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to make a copy; to plagiarize; to search and seize; to raid; to grab; to go off with; to take a shortcut; to make a turning move; to fold one's arms

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

扌 meaning “hand” + 少 sound ( shǎo )

Components 扌少

copy · Heisig RSH #1839

fingers + 少 few

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
一言抄百总	yī yán chāo bǎi zǒng	to cut a long story short
小抄儿	xiǎo chāo r	erhua variant of 小抄[xiao3 chao1]
文抄公	wén chāo gōng	plagiarist
抄小路	chāo xiǎo lù	to take the back roads; to take the side streets; to take the small paths
手抄本	shǒu chāo běn	manuscript copy of a book (before the printing press)
抄后路	chāo hòu lù	to outflank and attack from the rear
抄经士	chāo jīng shì	copyist; scribe
抄近儿	chāo jìn r	erhua variant of 抄近[chao1 jin4]
做小抄	zuò xiǎo chāo	to prepare a crib sheet; to crib; to cheat by copying
抄近路	chāo jìn lù	to take a shortcut
小抄	xiǎo chāo	cheat sheet; crib sheet
抄家	chāo jiā	to search a house and confiscate possessions
抄手	chāo shǒu	to fold one's arms; copyist; (dialect) wonton
抄道	chāo dào	to take a shortcut
抄本	chāo běn	handwritten copy
抄身	chāo shēn	to search (a person); to frisk
抄网	chāo wǎng	dip net
传抄	chuán chāo	to copy (a text) from person to person; (of a text) to be transmitted by copying
包抄	bāo chāo	to outflank; to envelop
抄底	chāo dǐ	(finance) to snap up undervalued stocks; bargain-hunting; bottom-fishing

Characters sharing the sound component 少 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
少 sound part	shǎo	few, little; less; inadequate
沙	shā	sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated
省	shěng	province; frugal; to save, to leave out
妙	miào	mysterious, subtle; clever, exquisite, wonderful
炒	chǎo	to boil, to fry, to roast, to sauté; to trade stock
纱	shā	gauze, muslin, yarn
秒	miǎo	a second; a corn kernel; measure word for time
钞	chāo	bank note, paper money; to counterfeit
吵	chǎo	to argue, to dispute; to annoy, to disturb
耖	chào	harrow-like implement for pulverizing clods of soil; to level ground with such an implemen…