交

in most characters it supplies the sound jiāo/jiǎo/xiào · Character component

in most characters it supplies the sound jiāo/jiǎo/xiào, and occasionally the sense of crossing or twisting together

The graph 交 drew a standing person seen from the front with the legs crossed over each other. In the modern shape you can still read it: the top strokes are the head and outspread arms, and the two long slanting legs at the bottom cut across one another. That crossing gives 交 its meanings of intersecting, exchanging and mixing, which show through in a word like 绞 'twist strands together', though in most of the characters here 交 is doing sound duty rather than meaning duty.

交 at a glance

Meaning

in most characters it supplies the sound jiāo/jiǎo/xiào

Strokes

6

Characters

25

Role

Contributes sound

Characters with 交 (19 of 25)

Frequently asked questions