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.

• 涸hé🔊

  to dry

  11 strokes

• 涿zhuō🔊

  used in place names

  11 strokes

• 淀diàn🔊

  (bound form) shallow lake (usu. in place names)

  11 strokes

• 淂dé🔊

  (river)

  11 strokes

• 淄zī🔊

  black

  11 strokes

• 淅xī🔊

  (onom.) sound of rain, sleet etc

  11 strokes

• 淆xiáo🔊

  variant of 淆[xiao2]

  11 strokes

• 淇qí🔊

  name of a river

  11 strokes

• 淊yān🔊

  variant of 淹[yan1]

  11 strokes

• 淖nào🔊

  slush

  11 strokes

• 淙cóng🔊

  noise of water

  11 strokes

• 淜péng🔊

  roar of dashing waves

  11 strokes

• 淞sōng🔊

  variant of 凇[song1]

  11 strokes

• 淟tiǎn🔊

  turbid

  11 strokes

• 淠pì🔊

  luxuriant (of water plants)

  11 strokes

• 淢yù🔊

  moat

  11 strokes

• 淤yū🔊

  silt

  11 strokes

• 渌lù🔊

  clear (water)

  11 strokes

• 淦gàn🔊

  (archaic) water leaking into a boat

  11 strokes

• 淬cuì🔊

  dip into water

  11 strokes

• 淯Yù🔊

  name of river

  11 strokes

• 淰niǎn🔊

  calm water

  11 strokes

• 淳chún🔊

  genuine

  11 strokes

• 渊yuān🔊

  deep pool

  11 strokes

• 渍zì🔊

  to soak

  11 strokes

• 渎dú🔊

  disrespectful

  11 strokes

• 渐jiàn🔊

  gradual

  11 strokes

• 渑miǎn🔊

  used in 澠池|渑池[Mian3 chi2] (the name of a place in Henan)

  11 strokes

• 渔yú🔊

  fisherman

  11 strokes

• 渕yuān🔊

  variant of 淵|渊[yuan1]

  11 strokes

• 渖shěn🔊

  old variant of 瀋|沈[shen3]

  11 strokes

• 渗shèn🔊

  to seep

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 渚zhǔ🔊

  islet

  11 strokes

• 渠qú🔊

  (artificial) stream; canal; drain; ditch (CL:條|条[tiao2])

  11 strokes

• 渮gē🔊

  place name

  11 strokes

• 渶Yīng🔊

  river in Shandong Province (old)

  11 strokes

• 湴bàn🔊

  mud

  11 strokes

• 湿shī🔊

  variant of 濕|湿[shi1]

  HSK 4

  12 strokes

• 湖hú🔊

  lake

  HSK 2

  12 strokes

• 渡dù🔊

  to cross

  HSK 6

  12 strokes

• 滑huá🔊

  to slip; to slide

  HSK 5

  12 strokes

• 游yóu🔊

  to walk

  HSK 3

  12 strokes

• 渭Wèi🔊

  the Wei River in Shaanxi through the Guanzhong Plain 關中平原|关中平原[Guan1 zhong1 Ping2 yuan2]

  12 strokes

• 温wēn🔊

  warm; lukewarm

  12 strokes

• 港gǎng🔊

  harbor

  HSK 7

  12 strokes

• 湾wān🔊

  bay

  12 strokes

• 渣zhā🔊

  slag (in mining or smelting)

  12 strokes

• 渴kě🔊

  thirsty

  HSK 1

  12 strokes