English–Chinese
“kidnap” in Chinese
How to say “kidnap” in Chinese
“Kidnap” in Chinese is 拐 (guǎi).
A person is pulled away from their own path and loses the freedom to decide where to go.
Example sentences with 拐
警方破获了一个拐卖团伙，抓获多人。jǐng fāng pò huò le yí gè guǎi mài tuán huǒ zhuā huò duō rén
The police broke up a kidnapping and trafficking ring and arrested several people.
Tips for using 拐
- For English-speaking learners, this verb normally signals a serious crime, not a neutral way to describe taking someone somewhere, so using it casually can sound like an accusation.
Other Chinese words for “kidnap”
他被绑架了。tā bèi bǎng jià le
He was kidnapped.