The character 招 — “beckon”: how to write it and what it means
beckon; recruit
The Chinese character 招 is read zhāo and means “beckon; recruit”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 招
招 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 招, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 招 is made of
On the left, 扌 “hand”: to beckon with your hand. On the right, 召 zhào “summon” hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 招
- 招聘recruit, hireHSK 4
- 打招呼greet, say helloHSK 4
- 招待host (guests), treatHSK 6
- 招手wave (beckoning)HSK 6
- 招生enroll studentsHSK 6
- 招收recruit, admit (people)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 招?
招 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 招 mean?
招 means “beckon; recruit”. It appears in 招聘 (“recruit”), 打招呼 (“greet”), 招待 (“host”), 招手 (“wave”).
How do you pronounce 招?
招 is read zhāo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 招 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 招 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free