操

操 · cāo

conduct, run, control, manage

Entry ↗

Meanings & readings

Meaning & readings

conduct, run, control, manage

Mandarin
cāo
Cantonese
cou1

Unihan definitions and selected character readings. Read the word to establish its pronunciation in context.

Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese

Readings recorded for 操 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.

Japanese 日本語

Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.

On’yomi · katakana

ソウ

Kun’yomi · hiragana

みさおあやつるとる

Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.

Source record & scope

Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property

ソウ みさお あやつる とる

Korean 한국어

Hanja readings · Hangul

조

Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.

Reading sources explained
조
KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Source record & scope

Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kHangul ↗ · provisional property

조:0E

Vietnamese Tiếng Việt

Not recorded for this exact character in this dataset. This does not mean the language has no reading.

Form & structure

Writing & identity

Unicode
U+64CD
Radical
手 · 64
Strokes
16 · Unihan
Residual
13

Source record · Unihan 17.0. Individual senses and historical claims have not yet been reviewed by zimai.

Stroke order

16 strokes
操
Strokes
16
Convention
PRC · Make Me a Hanzi

16 strokes in writing order. Play to watch them, or Step through one at a time.

Modern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. Stroke medians: Make Me a Hanzi via HanziLookupJS, drawn as an even pen line.

Graphical structure

⿰扌喿(GHTJKPV)
How to read these symbols

⿰ left–right · ⿱ above–below · ⿻ overlap. Dotted boxes indicate positions, not missing characters. Each symbol describes the components that follow it; nested symbols describe a component in more detail. Source codes identify alternative analyses, not a writing sequence or an etymology.

BabelStone IDS · 2025-06-27. Region tags are preserved; 〾 marks approximation and {n} identifies an unencoded source component. These describe graphical structure, not historical derivation.

Words & connections

Words using 操

Character connections

No reverse component match in this collection.

History & distinctions

Related forms

No simplified/traditional variant property is retained for this record.

Historical readings

Middle Chinese
tshaw · 七刀 反切 · #723
Middle Chinese
suwX · 蘇后 反切 · #1964
Middle Chinese
tshawH · 七到 反切 · #2813

Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.

Source row & reading categories

CSV line 5911 · tshaw = 效開一平豪清 · suwX = 流開一上侯心 · tshawH = 效開一去豪清

Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗

Sources & reference

Evidence & next depth

Source editions & exact scope ↗
Retained Unihan properties
kMandarin
cāo
kCantonese
cou1
kDefinition
conduct, run, control, manage
kTotalStrokes
16
kRSUnicode
64.13
kGradeLevel
1
kTGH
2013:3317

Readings across dictionaries

Hanyu Da Zidian
cāo 31969.030
Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
cāo粵cou1 cāo,cào粵sou3,cou1
Small numbers locate dictionary entries; 粵 introduces Cantonese. Includes rare or historical readings. Source notation ↗

Reference desk

Sentences in context

Find examples using 操 ↗

The attributed sentence collection is still small; this spelling has no retained example yet.

Study this character

Structure & connections

0.10
90dictionary records using 操0forms using this shape0attributed sound links
⿰ Left / right

Shape description
扌 beside 喿 · the same shape in all seven regional standards (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam)
Source notation ^⿰扌喿$(GHTJKPV)
BabelStone · 2025-06-27. Encoded shape and region tags; graphical analysis does not establish historical function.

Decompose & trace ↗Browse all 90 word records ↗Explore sound families ↗Component search ↗
Retained descriptions & scope

^⿰扌喿$(GHTJKPV)

All alternatives are retained. Only the first description drives component search and graphical links. Counts describe this snapshot, not frequency. Evidence and method.