抓 zhuā — to grab; to catch; to arrest; to snatch
他用力抓住了绳子。Tā yòng lì zhuā zhù le shéng zi.He grabbed the rope firmly.
Common words: 抓住 (zhuā zhù)、抓紧 (zhuā jǐn)、抓地 (zhuā dì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to grab"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to grab", including 抓 (zhuā), 抢 (qiāng / qiǎng), 扭 (niǔ), 捉 (zhuō). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to grab" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 抓 (zhuā), 抢 (qiāng / qiǎng), 扭 (niǔ), 捉 (zhuō) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhuā, qiāng, qiǎng, niǔ, zhuō — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 抓 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 抓 zhuāto grab; to catch; to arrest; to snatchUseful words: 抓住, 抓紧
- 抢 qiāng / qiǎngagainst wind; fight over; to rush; to scramble; to grab; to robUseful words: 抢救, 抢劫
- 扭 niǔto turn; to twist; to grab; to wringUseful words: 扭转, 别扭
- 捉 zhuōto clutch; to grab; to captureUseful words: 捕捉, 捉迷藏
Common words for these 4 "to grab" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 抓 (zhuā) — so "to grab" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to capture抓紧zhuā jǐnto keep a firm grip on; to pay close attention to; to lose no time in (doing sth)抓地zhuā dìgrip on the road; roadholding抢救qiǎng jiùto rescue抢劫qiǎng jiéto rob; looting抢夺qiǎng duóto plunder; to pillage; to forcibly take扭转niǔ zhuǎnto reverse; to turn around (an undesirable situation); (mechanics) torsion别扭biè niuawkward; difficult; uncomfortable; not agreeing扭曲niǔ qūto twist; to warp; to distort捕捉bǔ zhuōto catch; to seize; to capture
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "to grab".
抢 qiāng / qiǎng — against wind; fight over; to rush; to scramble; to grab; to rob
大家不要抢，请排队购买。Dà jiā bú yào qiǎng, qǐng pái duì gòu mǎi.Everyone, do not push; please line up to buy.
Common words: 抢救 (qiǎng jiù)、抢劫 (qiǎng jié)、抢夺 (qiǎng duó)
扭 niǔ — to turn; to twist; to grab; to wring
他不小心扭伤了脚踝。Tā bù xiǎo xīn niǔ shāng le jiǎo huái.He accidentally sprained his ankle.
Common words: 扭转 (niǔ zhuǎn)、别扭 (biè niu)、扭曲 (niǔ qū)
捉 zhuō — to clutch; to grab; to capture
孩子们在草地上捉蝴蝶。Hái zi men zài cǎo dì shàng zhuō hú dié.The children are catching butterflies on the grass.
Common words: 捕捉 (bǔ zhuō)、捉迷藏 (zhuō mí cáng)、捉对 (zhuō duì)
All 4 characters
Open 抓、抢、扭 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.