渦 meaning and stroke order
Eddy, swirl, whirlpool
How to write 渦, stroke by stroke
12 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 渦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- name of a river
- eddy
- whirlpool
How 渦 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mouth 咼 made of water 氵.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 渦
The water radical 氵 sits next to 咼, which looks like a twisted mouth. Picture water forming a mouth that swallows things down: a whirlpool, 渦 (wō).
渦 (wō) is the traditional form and appears mostly in compounds like 漩涡 (xuánwō, whirlpool) and 涡轮 (wōlún, turbine). It is also used figuratively for being pulled into 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 mix up 渦 with 過 (guò, to pass) and 禍 (huò, disaster), which share the 咼 part. Look at the left side: water 氵 means whirlpool, the walking radical 辶 means pass, and 礻 means disaster.
Common words with 渦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 旋渦 | xuánwō | spiral; whirlpool | HSK 7-9 |
| 漩渦 | xuánwō | whirlpool; eddy | |
| 渦輪 | wōlún | turbine |
Questions about 渦
How many strokes are in 渦?
渦 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 渦 mean?
渦 (wō) means eddy, swirl, whirlpool. A common word with it is 旋涡 (xuánwō), meaning "spiral; whirlpool".
How do you pronounce 渦?
渦 is pronounced wō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 渦?
The radical of 渦 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 渦 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 渦?
渦 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 涡, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 渦 sometimes read guō?
The guō reading is only used for the name of a river, the Guo River (渦河) in Anhui and Henan. In everyday words like whirlpool and turbine, it is always wō.
Is 旋涡 or 漩涡 the correct spelling for whirlpool?
Both are used and pronounced xuánwō. 漩涡 with the water radical is more common when talking about actual water, while 旋涡 is also widely accepted, especially for spirals in general.