搅

• Pinyin: jiǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 搅 = 扌(hand) + 觉 (phonetic) — to stir with the hand

Meaning

To stir; to disturb; to agitate. To mix by moving in circular motions, or to disrupt order.

Used both for physical stirring (cooking, mixing) and for causing disruption or confusion. Can describe disturbing someone's peace, mixing things up, or creating chaos. Often appears in compounds like 搅拌 (to stir) and 搅乱 (to disrupt).

Examples

1. 她用筷子搅了搅咖啡，让糖完全溶解。 She stirred the coffee with chopsticks to let the sugar dissolve completely.
2. 别来搅局，这件事跟你没关系。 Don't come stirring up trouble — this matter has nothing to do with you.
3. 他的到来把原本平静的生活搅得天翻地覆。 His arrival turned the previously peaceful life completely upside down.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, disruption, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 煮粥的时候要经常搅一搅。(You need to stir frequently when cooking porridge.)
• 别搅和我们的事。(Don't meddle in our affairs.)

Don't Say

• 用'搅'描述轻柔的混合 (Don't use 搅 for gentle mixing — it implies more vigorous action; use 拌 for gentle folding)

Origin & History

The character 搅 contains 扌(hand radical), indicating manual action. The right component 觉 provides the phonetic element.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal