Chinese symbol for “grasp”
操
cāo
to grasp; to hold; to operate; to manage
The closest CC-CEDICT match for grasp is 操 (cāo), defined as: to grasp; to hold; to operate; to manage; to control; to steer.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “grasp”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 掌握 | zhǎng wò | to grasp (often fig.); to control |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate |
| 把握 | bǎ wò | to grasp (also fig.); to seize |
| 掺 (摻) | shǎn | to grasp |
| 拿捏 | ná niē | (lit. and fig.) to grasp; to control; (dialect) affecting shyness; coy |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 操.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 操作 | cāo zuò | to work; to operate |
| 操纵 (操縱) | cāo zòng | to operate; to control |
| 操控 | cāo kòng | to control; to manipulate |
| 操作系统 (操作系統) | cāo zuò xì tǒng | operating system |
| 体操 (體操) | tǐ cāo | gymnastic; gymnastics |
| 我操 | wǒ cào | (substitute for 我肏 (wǒ cào)) fuck; WTF |
See also: Japanese symbol for “grasp”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.