搅拌
jiǎo bàn · HSK 7
to stir
🥄 Both chars are hand 扌 actions; 拌 = hand + 半 (bàn half) — same sound bàn
搅 (jiǎo) and 拌 (bàn) both carry the hand radical 扌 because stirring is done by hand. 拌 borrows its sound straight from 半 (bàn, half), so think hand-folding two halves together.
搅 — hand radical 扌 + 觉 jué (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 signals an action done with the hand, while 觉 (jué) supplies the sound, shifted to jiǎo. The original meaning is to stir or mix with a hand or stick, later extended to disturb or disrupt.
拌 — hand radical 扌 + half 半
A semantic-phonetic compound: 扌 (hand) gives the meaning of a manual action, while 半 (bàn, 'half') supplies the sound. The original sense was to mix or stir by hand, as when combining ingredients, which extends to modern uses like 拌面 (mixed noodles) and 拌嘴 (to bicker).