字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

withdraw, draw in, hold back, refrain from, be moderate

On’yomi コウ
Kun’yomi ひか.える、ひか.え

Origin

The character combines a hand radical on the left with the character 空 (which sounds like "kuu") on the right. The 空 component acts as a sound hint, suggesting roughly how 控 is pronounced. The hand radical indicates this is an action involving manual control or restraint—the idea of using your hand to hold something back or keep it in check. Together, the parts suggest the meaning of restraining or withdrawing something through physical or deliberate control.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

控 11 strokes

Components

  • 扌 radical left
  • 空 sound hint right

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 控え ひかえ reserve; spare
  • 控除 こうじょ subtraction; deduction (e.g. of tax)
  • 控訴 こうそ appeal to a higher court; intermediate appeal
  • 控える ひかえる to be temperate in; to refrain
  • 控えめ ひかえめ moderate; reserved
  • 手控え てびかえ note; memorandum
  • 控え室 ひかえしつ waiting room; anteroom
  • 買い控え かいびかえ restrained buying

Related kanji

Same radical

Reference

Strokes
11
Kangxi radical
64
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1000 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+063A7