扭
niǔ · HSK 6
to turn
🔧 Sounds like NEW — twist something into a NEW shape
The left side 扌 is the hand radical (you twist with your hand). The right side 丑 means ugly or clumsy. A hand doing something clumsy — wrenching, spraining, twisting awkwardly.
扭 — hand radical 扌 + 丑 (chǒu, phonetic)
扭 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates an action done with the hand, while 丑 supplies the sound. It originally meant to twist or wrench by hand, and still carries senses like to turn, twist, or sprain.