拉 means “abduct, drag away”

ら · ra

Also: Latin, kidnap, crush

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

らっする, ひしぐ, くだく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ラツ, ラ, ロウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 8 strokes

The story

A hand (扌) seizing someone right where they stand (立): 拉 drags people off. 拉致 is abduction, and in Japan it calls to mind the citizens taken by North Korea, whose families still fight for their return; the blue ribbon pins many politicians wear are for them.

Used in 拉致 (rachi, abduction) and 拉致問題 (rachi mondai, the North Korean abduction issue)

More from Thieves & Swindlers

• 偽 fake
• 唆 suggest
• 賄 bribe
• 謀 plot
• 虐 cruelty
• 拐 kidnap
• 詐 fraud
• 欺 deceive
• 殴 hit
• 窃 steal
• 賊 bandit
• 賂 bribe

Learn 拉 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.