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淖 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
淖nàomud, slushg, 11 strokes, radical 氵, rank #63355, Very Hard
淖nàosurname Naounknown, 11 strokes, radical 氵, rank #63355, Very Hard
nào(Nao4) T4
  1. 1mud, slush
Also a Chinese surname, Nao — see the Surname Dictionary
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

淖nào(Nao4)

The character 淖 (nào) refers primarily to mud or slush, often associated with wet or boggy ground. It can be used in both literal contexts, such as describing muddy terrain, and metaphorical contexts, such as feeling bogged down by problems or emotions.

Strokes11Radical氵Frequency#63355DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, mud can symbolize both problems and fertility. The connection to agriculture is significant, as mud or wet soil is essential for growing crops, especially rice.

Memory Tip

Imagine a boat getting stuck in thick, wet mud (淖). The water (氵) surrounding it reminds you of the liquid nature of mud, while the character resembles a person struggling to get out. The pronunciation 'nào' sounds like 'now,' as in 'I need to get out of this mud now!'

Meanings of 淖

nào(Nao4)
1mud, slush
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 淖

淖Simplified
11Strokes
氵Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 淖

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Podcast: 淖

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AI Study Notes for 淖

Usage Notes

淖 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, so it may come off as literary or formal. Be careful with the tonal pronunciation; it's pronounced with a falling tone (nào), which can often be confused with other similar-sounding words. Common collocations might include expressions related to muddy conditions or descriptions of emotions.

HSK Study Tips

Although 淖 is not part of the standard HSK vocabulary, it can be related to other words describing states of matter or earth, such as 土 (tǔ - earth/soil). Students should focus on understanding how this character fits into a broader vocabulary related to nature and environment.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 淖 with similar-sounding characters like 娜 (nà) or 笃 (dǔ). For example, saying '我在淖里' (wǒ zài nà lǐ) instead of '我在淖里' (wǒ zài nào lǐ) can lead to confusion about the intended meaning.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 淖

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Etymology of 淖

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

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 卓 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

water

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 淖

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 卓 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half氵 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half卓 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywater
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 淖? 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 淖?

Decomposition of 淖

IDS Structure⿰氵卓
淖Full Character
=
氵shui3
left
卓Zhuo2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 淖?

How to say mud, slush in Chinese

“mud, slush” in Chinese is淖nào

The character 淖 (nào) refers primarily to mud or slush, often associated with wet or boggy ground. It can be used in both literal contexts, such as describing muddy terrain, and metaphorical contexts, such as feeling bogged down by problems or emotions.

When to use 淖

淖 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, so it may come off as literary or formal. Be careful with the tonal pronunciation; it's pronounced with a falling tone (nào), which can often be confused with other similar-sounding words. Common collocations might include expressions related to muddy conditions or descriptions of emotions.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 淖 with similar-sounding characters like 娜 (nà) or 笃 (dǔ). For example, saying '我在淖里' (wǒ zài nà lǐ) instead of '我在淖里' (wǒ zài nào lǐ) can lead to confusion about the intended meaning.

Write 淖

淖

Practice writing 淖 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 淖

Words Containing This Character4
淖nàoslush
泥淖mud
巴彦淖尔市Bayan Nur prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia巴彥淖爾市
巴彦淖尔Bayan Nur prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia巴彥淖爾
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 淖 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 淖

It is pronounced as 'nào' with a falling tone.

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