water

Origin & mnemonic

The water radical originates from a pictograph depicting flowing water. In seal script, it consists of three vertical strokes (representing streams of water) with a horizontal stroke in the middle (indicating the water surface), forming a wave-like shape.

Mnemonic: Three lines piercing through the middle represent three streams of water flowing across a wave's surface.

• 滫xiǔ🔊

  (literary) water that was used to rinse rice and has become smelly; befouled water

  13 strokes

• 漓lí🔊

  pattering (of rain)

  13 strokes

• 漠mò🔊

  desert

  13 strokes

• 涟lián🔊

  ripple

  13 strokes

• 漨féng🔊

  (name of an ancient river)

  13 strokes

• 漭mǎng🔊

  vast

  13 strokes

• 漷kuò🔊

  clashing of two currents

  13 strokes

• 潃xiǔ🔊

  old variant of 滫[xiu3]

  13 strokes

• 演yǎn🔊

  to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show)

  HSK 3

  14 strokes

• 滴dī🔊

  to drip

  HSK 6

  14 strokes

• 汉hàn🔊

  man

  14 strokes

• 漏lòu🔊

  to leak

  HSK 5

  14 strokes

• 涨zhǎng🔊

  to rise (of prices, rivers)

  HSK 5

  14 strokes

• 漆qī🔊

  paint

  HSK 7

  14 strokes

• 漂piào🔊

  used in 漂亮[piao4 liang5]

  HSK 7

  14 strokes

• 漤lǎn🔊

  to soak (fruits) in hot water or limewater to remove astringent taste

  14 strokes

• 荥xíng🔊

  used in 滎陽|荥阳[Xing2 yang2] (the name of a place in Henan)

  14 strokes

• 沪Hù🔊

  short name for Shanghai

  14 strokes

• 滮biāo🔊

  flowing of water

  14 strokes

• 卤lǔ🔊

  alkaline soil

  14 strokes

• 浒hǔ🔊

  bank of a river

  14 strokes

• 滹Hū🔊

  surname Hu

  14 strokes

• 浐chǎn🔊

  name of a river in Shaanxi province

  14 strokes

• 漄yá🔊

  old variant of 涯[ya2]

  14 strokes

• 漈jì🔊

  river bank

  14 strokes

• 漉lù🔊

  strain liquids

  14 strokes

• 漕cáo🔊

  to transport (esp. grain) by water

  14 strokes

• 漖jiào🔊

  a tributary of a river (used in place names)

  14 strokes

• 漘chún🔊

  shore

  14 strokes

• 沤òu🔊

  to steep

  14 strokes

• 漜yě🔊

  mud

  14 strokes

• 漡shāng🔊

  old variant of 湯|汤[shang1]

  14 strokes

• 漥wā🔊

  variant of 窪|洼[wa1]

  14 strokes

• 漩xuán🔊

  whirlpool

  14 strokes

• 漪yī🔊

  ripple

  14 strokes

• 漫màn🔊

  free

  HSK 7

  14 strokes

• 漯luò🔊

  used in 漯河[Luo4 he2] (the name of a place in Henan)

  14 strokes

• 漰pēng🔊

  noise of dashing waves

  14 strokes

• 漱shù🔊

  to rinse one's mouth with water

  14 strokes

• 漳Zhāng🔊

  Zhang river in Fujian

  14 strokes

• 漶huàn🔊

  (of writing, pictures etc) indistinct due to deterioration (water damage etc)

  14 strokes

• 漹Yān🔊

  (archaic) river name

  14 strokes

• 漼cuǐ🔊

  having the appearance of depth

  14 strokes

• 漾yàng🔊

  to overflow

  14 strokes

• 潀cóng🔊

  gather

  14 strokes

• 潆yíng🔊

  eddy

  14 strokes

• 潇xiāo🔊

  (of water) deep and clear

  14 strokes

• 潋liàn🔊

  full of water

  14 strokes