镬 meaning and stroke order
Cauldron, large iron pot
How to write 镬, stroke by stroke
18 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 镬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wok (dialect)
- cauldron (old)
How 镬 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
钅 gives the meaning and 蒦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 镬
The metal radical 钅 on the left tells you this is something made of metal, and 蒦 on the right gives the sound huò. Picture a big metal pot that you cook huò (heaps) of food in.
In standard Mandarin 镬 appears mostly in old texts and set phrases, where it means a large cauldron, as in the ancient punishment 鼎镬 (dǐng huò). In Cantonese and some southern dialects it is the everyday word for a wok. Example: 他用镬炒菜。(Tā yòng huò chǎo cài.) He stir-fries vegetables in a wok.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 镬 with 获 (huò, to obtain) and 护 (hù, to protect) because of the similar sounds and the shared right-side shapes. Remember that only 镬 has the metal radical 钅, because it is a metal pot.
Questions about 镬
How many strokes are in 镬?
镬 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 镬 mean?
镬 (huò) means cauldron, large iron pot.
How do you pronounce 镬?
镬 is pronounced huò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 镬?
The radical of 镬 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 镬 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 镬?
The traditional form of 镬 is 鑊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 镬 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 镬 the same as the common word for wok, 锅?
Both can refer to a cooking pot, but 锅 (guō) is the normal Mandarin word, as in 炒锅 (chǎoguō, wok). 镬 is dialectal or literary. In Cantonese it is the everyday word.
What does the Cantonese expression 大镬 mean?
Literally it means a big wok, but in Cantonese slang 大镬 means serious trouble, like saying something is a big mess. You may see it in Hong Kong media written with this character.