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鍋 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鍋guōcooking-pot, saucepanzg, 17 strokes, radical 釒
guō(guo1) T1
  1. 1cooking-pot, saucepan
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鍋guō(guo1)

鍋 (guō) refers to a cooking pot or saucepan used for boiling or frying food. It is a common kitchen utensil in Chinese cooking, often associated with methods like stir-frying and steaming. The character can denote various types of pots, but it typically implies a deeper, round-bottomed vessel.

Strokes17Radical釒
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the鍋 is an essential tool for cooking family meals, often used for communal dining where dishes are cooked and shared at the table. The character reflects the importance of cooking in family life and gatherings.

Memory Tip

Imagine a large, round pot (鍋) bubbling over a flame, ready to cook delicious meals. The character has a 'metal' radical (金) on the left, suggesting it is made of metal, and the phonetic component '過' hints at the sound 'guō'—think of a pot that has 'gone' through many meals.

Meanings of 鍋

guō(guo1)
1cooking-pot, saucepan
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鍋

鍋Simplified
17Strokes
釒Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鍋

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Podcast: 鍋

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AI Study Notes for 鍋

Quick Contrast

煲 (bāo) refers specifically to a pot used for stewing or slow cooking, while 鍋 (guō) is more general and includes various types of cooking pots.

Usage Notes

鍋 is generally used in both formal and informal contexts, but when discussing specific types of pots, learners should specify the exact kind (e.g., 炒鍋 for wok). A common mistake is to confuse it with 碗 (wǎn), which means 'bowl'. Be careful with tones: '鍋' has a high-level tone (first tone).

HSK Study Tips

Although 鍋 is not on the HSK list, it is relevant for learners at HSK 2 or 3, especially when discussing food or cooking. Students should connect it with other kitchen-related vocabulary like 炒 (chǎo, to stir-fry) and 食物 (shíwù, food) to enhance their culinary vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly use 鍋 to mean 'bowl' (碗) due to confusion over cooking utensils. Remember, 鍋 is specifically for pots, while 碗 is for bowls.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鍋

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Etymology of 鍋

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

metal

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鍋

  1. 1The meaning half釒 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half咼 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaymetal
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 鍋? 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 鍋?

Decomposition of 鍋

IDS Structure⿰釒咼
鍋Full Character
=
釒jin1
left
咼guo1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鍋?

How to say cooking-pot, saucepan in Chinese

“cooking-pot, saucepan” in Chinese is鍋guō

鍋 (guō) refers to a cooking pot or saucepan used for boiling or frying food. It is a common kitchen utensil in Chinese cooking, often associated with methods like stir-frying and steaming. The character can denote various types of pots, but it typically implies a deeper, round-bottomed vessel.

When to use 鍋

鍋 is generally used in both formal and informal contexts, but when discussing specific types of pots, learners should specify the exact kind (e.g., 炒鍋 for wok). A common mistake is to confuse it with 碗 (wǎn), which means 'bowl'. Be careful with tones: '鍋' has a high-level tone (first tone).

鍋 or something close to it

煲 (bāo) refers specifically to a pot used for stewing or slow cooking, while 鍋 (guō) is more general and includes various types of cooking pots.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistakenly use 鍋 to mean 'bowl' (碗) due to confusion over cooking utensils. Remember, 鍋 is specifically for pots, while 碗 is for bowls.

Write 鍋

鍋

Practice writing 鍋 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 鍋

Words Containing This Character20
锅guōpot鍋
火锅huǒguōhotpot火鍋
锅炉boiler鍋爐
背黑锅to be made a scapegoat背黑鍋
砂锅casserole砂鍋
锅盖saucepan lid鍋蓋
平底锅frying pan平底鍋
一锅粥yīguōzhōu(lit.) a pot of porridge一鍋粥
锅巴guoba (scorched rice at the bottom of the pan)鍋巴
油锅a deep fryer油鍋
锅贴fried dumpling鍋貼
锅子pot鍋子
蒸锅steamer蒸鍋
开锅(of a pot) to boil開鍋
大锅饭lit. big rice pan大鍋飯
沙锅casserole沙鍋
炒锅wok炒鍋
高压锅pressure cooker高壓鍋
二锅头erguotou (sorghum liquor)二鍋頭
不粘锅non-stick pan不粘鍋
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 锅 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鍋

鍋子 (guōzi) is a colloquial term that means 'pot' or 'pan' and is often used interchangeably with 鍋. However, 鍋 can refer to a broader category of cooking vessels.

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