涡 meaning and stroke order
Eddy, swirl, whirlpool
How to write 涡, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 涡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- name of a river
- eddy
- whirlpool
How 涡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mouth 呙 made of water 氵.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 涡
The water radical 氵 sits beside 呙, which the etymology describes as a mouth. Picture a mouth made of water, a swirling hole in a river that sucks things down: a whirlpool.
涡 (wō) rarely appears alone. It is used in words like 漩涡 (xuánwō, whirlpool) and 涡轮 (wōlún, turbine), and 漩涡 is often used figuratively for being caught in trouble. Example: 他卷入了一场政治漩涡。(Tā juǎnrù le yì chǎng zhèngzhì xuánwō.) He got caught up in a political whirlpool.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 涡 (wō) with 窝 (wō, nest) because they sound the same, or with 锅 (guō, pot) and 祸 (huò, disaster), which share the 呙 part. Check the left side: water 氵 means swirling water.
Common words with 涡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 旋涡 | xuánwō | spiral; whirlpool | HSK 7-9 |
| 漩涡 | xuánwō | whirlpool; eddy | |
| 涡轮 | wōlún | turbine |
Questions about 涡
How many strokes are in 涡?
涡 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 涡 mean?
涡 (wō) means eddy, swirl, whirlpool. A common word with it is 旋涡 (xuánwō), meaning "spiral; whirlpool".
How do you pronounce 涡?
涡 is pronounced wō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 涡?
The radical of 涡 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 涡 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 涡?
The traditional form of 涡 is 渦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 涡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 涡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 涡 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 旋涡 and 漩涡?
Both are read xuánwō and mean whirlpool or vortex. 漩涡 adds the water radical and is more common for water and figurative uses, while 旋涡 stresses the spinning motion. In everyday writing they are largely interchangeable.
Is 涡 ever read guō?
Yes. When it is the name of a river, the 涡河 (Guō Hé) in Anhui and Henan, it is read guō. In all other words it is read wō.