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窳 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
窳yǔdirty; weak, useless; cracked, flawedzg, 15 strokes, radical 穴
窳yǔbadunknown, 15 strokes, radical 穴
yǔ(yu3) T3
  1. 1dirty; weak, useless; cracked, flawed
  2. 2bad
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

窳yǔ(yu3)

The character 窳 (yǔ) typically describes something that is dirty, weak, or flawed. It can refer to physical items that are cracked or in poor condition, as well as metaphorically describing someone or something that is ineffective or useless in a particular context.

Strokes15Radical穴
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, cleanliness and functionality are highly valued, making the concept of 'dirty' or 'useless' particularly significant. This character might be used to describe items that are not up to standard, reflecting the importance of quality in daily life.

Memory Tip

Imagine a dirty, cracked window (the radical 窗 is related) that lets in weak sunlight. This image connects the idea of flaw and weakness to the pronunciation 'yǔ', as you might say 'yuck' when seeing something dirty.

Meanings of 窳

yǔ(yu3)
1dirty; weak, useless; cracked, flawed
2bad
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 窳

窳Simplified
15Strokes
穴Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 窳

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Podcast: 窳

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AI Study Notes for 窳

Quick Contrast

窳 (yǔ) vs 劣 (liè) — use 窳 for physical flaws or dirtiness, while 劣 is more about inferiority in quality or standard.

Usage Notes

This character is often used in negative contexts, so be cautious with its use in formal situations. Common collocations include 窳水 (dirty water) and 窳物 (useless items), which emphasize the negative qualities. Watch out for tonal mistakes, as the third tone can easily be mispronounced.

HSK Study Tips

While 窳 is not at a specific HSK level, it can be useful for learners focusing on vocabulary related to descriptions of objects and qualities. Students should connect it with other descriptive adjectives to expand their expressive abilities.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 窳 with similar-sounding characters like 语 (yǔ), which means 'language'. For example, saying '我觉得这个东西是语' instead of '我觉得这个东西是窳' is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 窳

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Etymology of 窳

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

cave

Semantic (meaning)穴
+
Phonetic (sound)㼌
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 窳

  1. 1The meaning half穴 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half㼌 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaycave
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 窳? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 窳?

Decomposition of 窳

IDS Structure⿱穴㼌
窳Full Character
=
穴xue2
top
㼌yu3
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 窳?

How to say dirty; weak, useless; cracked, flawed in Chinese

“dirty; weak, useless; cracked, flawed” in Chinese is窳yǔ

The character 窳 (yǔ) typically describes something that is dirty, weak, or flawed. It can refer to physical items that are cracked or in poor condition, as well as metaphorically describing someone or something that is ineffective or useless in a particular context.

When to use 窳

This character is often used in negative contexts, so be cautious with its use in formal situations. Common collocations include 窳水 (dirty water) and 窳物 (useless items), which emphasize the negative qualities. Watch out for tonal mistakes, as the third tone can easily be mispronounced.

窳 or something close to it

窳 (yǔ) vs 劣 (liè) — use 窳 for physical flaws or dirtiness, while 劣 is more about inferiority in quality or standard.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 窳 with similar-sounding characters like 语 (yǔ), which means 'language'. For example, saying '我觉得这个东西是语' instead of '我觉得这个东西是窳' is incorrect.

Write 窳

窳

Practice writing 窳 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 窳

Words Containing This Character1
窳yǔbad
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 窳 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 窳

Synonyms include 脏 (zāng) for dirty and 无用 (wúyòng) for useless.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 窳?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.