Phono-semantic compound:
手 (hand radical) – semantic, indicating action with the hand.
句 (phrase, sentence; to enclose) – phonetic element.
The combination conveys the idea of seizing or holding something with the hand, extended to meanings of detention, restraint, or being bound.

Semantic range:
- to physically catch, seize;
- to arrest or detain (legal/official usage);
- to restrict, to confine, to bind;
- figurative: to be constrained by convention, rule, or formality.

拘束 (구속) - restriction, restraint
拘留 (구류) - detention
拘捕 (구포) - arrest, capture
拘謹 (구근) - overly reserved, constrained in manner

Characters

Words

Vocabulary

place, location, that which, what (nominalizer)

to criticize, to comment, to strike, to slap, to approve, to endorse

to receive, to bear, to undertake, to inherit, to continue, to succeed, to support, to carry

skill, ability, technique, craft, art, workmanship

to throw, to fling, to pitch

to brush off, to shake off, to dust, to wave away, repel

to expand, to open up, to broaden, to print, to make a rubbing, to engrave, to carve

to pull out, to extract, to uproot, to remove, to withdraw, to surpass, to excel

to seize, to detain, to arrest, to restrict, to restrain, to be bound by

to bow, to pay respects, to worship, to salute, to pray, to visit

to wipe, to clean, to wash away

to hold, to grasp, to carry, to maintain, to sustain, to persist

to point, to indicate, finger

to raise, to provoke, to stir up, to lift, to poke, to incite

to seize, to catch, to arrest, to capture

to give

to search, to look for, to probe, to explore

Explore the meaning, etymology and usage of this Chinese character. Learn its radical and how it is applied in Korean language.

Chinese character

Explore 214 Chinese radicals and their derived characters. Sort by radical or stroke count, and view the complete list of official Hanja radicals.

Chinese characters (Hanja)

Chinese characters dictionary

拘

Etymology

Usage in Korean

Characters next to each other in the list

References