窑 meaning and stroke order
Kiln; oven; coal pit
How to write 窑, stroke by stroke
11 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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- 11
Meaning of 窑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- kiln
- oven
- coal pit
- cave dwelling
- (coll.) brothel
- variant of 窯|窑[yao2]
How 窑 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An oven 穴 where pots 缶 are fired; 缶 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 穴 (cave), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 窑
On top is 穴 (xué), a cave or hollow, and below is 缶 (fǒu), a clay pot. Picture pots sitting inside a hollow chamber being fired, and you have a kiln.
窑 (yáo) usually appears in compounds about kilns, mines, or cave homes, such as 砖窑 (zhuānyáo, brick kiln), 煤窑 (méiyáo, coal pit), and 窑洞 (yáodòng, cave dwelling). Example: 他们住在窑洞里。(Tāmen zhù zài yáodòng lǐ.) They live in a cave dwelling.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 窑 (yáo) with 摇 (yáo, to shake) and 谣 (yáo, rumor), because they share the same sound and the right part 䍃 looks similar. Remember that 窑 has the cave roof 穴 on top, with no hand 扌 or speech 讠 on the side.
Questions about 窑
How many strokes are in 窑?
窑 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 窑 mean?
窑 (yáo) means kiln; oven; coal pit.
How do you pronounce 窑?
窑 is pronounced yáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 窑?
The radical of 窑 is 穴, which carries the idea of "cave". Dictionaries list 窑 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 窑?
The traditional form of 窑 is 窯 and 窰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 窑 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 窑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 窑 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is a 窑洞 (yáodòng)?
A 窑洞 is a traditional home dug into a loess hillside, common in northern China, especially Shaanxi. It stays cool in summer and warm in winter.
Is 窑 used to mean brothel in normal speech?
Only in colloquial or old-fashioned slang, as in 窑子 (yáozi). In everyday modern Chinese, 窑 almost always refers to kilns, mines, or cave homes, so use the slang sense with care.