漢字Kanji · in Human Body & People
抱: embrace, hug
Also: hold in arms
扌 carries the meaning · 包 gives the sound
Four readings, and the words that use each
ホウhou · on'yomi · in compounds
- 抱負ほうふaspiration, ambition
- 抱腹絶倒ほうふくぜっとうside-splittingly funny
- 辛抱するしんぼうするbe patient, persevere
- 抱擁するほうようするembrace, hug
- 介抱するかいほうするnurse, look after
だくdaku · kun'yomi · on its own
- 抱くだくembrace, hug
- 抱っこするだっこするcarry (a baby) in one's arms
いだくidaku · kun'yomi
- 抱くいだくentertain, cherish, harbor, hold
かかえるkakaeru · kun'yomi
- 抱えるかかえるhold/carry under, or in the arms
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)手, as 扌 (meaning) + 包 (sound)
Hold in one’s hands. Note that 包 has the meaning of “wrap”, hence connotations of “wrap in one’s hands, embrace”, thereby also making it an ideogrammic compound.
Source: Wiktionary, 抱 (rev. 92721892), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Hand (扌) + wrap (包). To use your "hands" to "wrap" around someone—the literal act of "hugging" or holding an idea in your heart.”
Connections
Also built on wrap (包)
抱 takes the 包 family's reading, ホウ (hou).
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · bào
Same form: 抱 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 抱 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 抱 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin bào most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.