铐 (kào) · handcuffs, shackles, to handcuff

Measure Word

一副铐 fù

Meanings

1 handcuffs
2 shackles
3 to handcuff

Characters

铐

kào

handcuffs; to shackle

Examples

HSK 3

他被铐住了。

Tā bèi kào zhù le.

He was handcuffed.

HSK 4

警察给他戴上了手铐。

Jǐngchá gěi tā dàishàng le shǒukào.

The police put handcuffs on him.

Tips

memory

铐 has the metal radical 钅 (金) on the left, indicating it's a metal object. The right side 考 gives the approximate sound.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal; gold (left-side form of 金)

Left metal radical - the indexing component, marking 铐 as a metal object. 钅 puts handcuffs alongside 锁 (lock), 铁 (iron), 钢 (steel), 钩 (hook) - a whole family of forged-metal items. The cold steel of restraint is right there in the radical.

phonetic

考 kǎo

to test; to examine

Right 考 supplies the sound (kǎo → kào, only tone differs). Pure phonetic - no examining-meaning carried into 铐 itself. Same phonetic family as 烤 (roast), 拷 (interrogate); the 拷 link is suggestive given that handcuffs and interrogation often go together.