招

Phono-semantic compound, consists of:

手 (扌) — semantic, hand, manual action; correlates with gesture, beckoning

召 (부를 소) — phonetic, gives the sound cho / zhāo and originally meant “to call,” reinforcing the meaning

Thus 招 literally means “to call or summon someone with the hand.”

In Korean 招 can express:

- calling someone

- invitation to an event

- causing a result (“초래하다”)

- confessing in legal/administrative terminology

- a maneuver in martial arts (“수(手)”)

招待 (초대) — invitation

招聘 (초빙) — recruitment; invitation (for a position)

招集 (초집) — to summon; call together

招喚 (초환) — to summon

招致 (초치) — to bring about; to incur

招認 (초인) — confession; to admit (especially legal confession)

招魂 (초혼) — to summon a spirit

招收 (초수) — to recruit (students, workers, etc.)

招 covers both, positive and negative meanings:

- positive, 招待 (invite), 招福 (invite blessing)

- negative, 招災 (invite disaster), 招致禍患 (bring misfortune)

The meaning depends heavily on context.

In martial arts terminology 招式 / 招數 originally meant “hand gestures; attack and defense techniques.” Thus “무술·전략에서의 수” corresponds directly to historical usage.

Relation to 召:

召 already means “to summon.”

招 adds hand action and often implies a physical gesture or a more active invitation.

Legal and administrative nuance:

招 — to confess under interrogation

招認 — formal admission of guilt

招供 — confession statement

Appears in legal records from Han dynasty onward.

Classical citations:

《論語·先進》 (Analects)

「子路使之行，弗招也。」

“Zilu ordered him to go, but did not call him back” — 招 = to call, to beckon

《孟子·梁惠王上》 (Mencius)

「不招而來者，德之流也。」

“Those who come without being summoned are drawn by virtue.”

《史記·孫子吳起列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「以奇招之。」

“He attacked with unexpected moves” — 招 = “move” or technique in strategy

《後漢書·黨錮列傳》 (The Book of the Later Han Dynasty)

「拷問不勝，遂招其事。」

“Unable to endure the interrogation, he finally confessed” — 招 = confess, admit

《詩經·小雅》 (The Book of Songs)

「招招舟子。」

“The boatman beckons gently” — 招招 = a reduplicated form indicating repeated beckoning