Meaning of 壶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- pot
- classifier for bottled liquid
How to use 壶
壶 is a noun for pots and kettles, usually in compounds like 茶壶 (cháhú) teapot and 水壶 (shuǐhú) kettle. It also works as a measure word for a potful of liquid. 我们要一壶茶。(Wǒmen yào yì hú chá.) We'd like a pot of tea.
Picture 壶 (hú) as a pot seen from the side: the 士 on top is the lid with its knob, and the bottom part is the round belly of the pot. A lid sitting on a fat body makes a teapot.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 壶 (hú) with 壳 (ké, shell) because both start with 士. Check the bottom: 壶 has a closed boxy belly, while 壳 ends in 几. Also keep the second tone in hú, and don't mix it up with 湖 (hú, lake), which sounds the same.
壶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
壶 hú · pot · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 壶.
Questions about 壶
What does 壶 mean?
壶 (hú) means "pot; classifier for bottled liquid" and is used as a noun and measure word.
How do you write 壶?
壶 is made of 1 character: 壶 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 壶 an HSK word?
Yes. 壶 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 壶 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 壶 is written 壺.
What is the difference between 壶 and 锅?
壶 is a pot with a spout or narrow opening for pouring liquids, like a teapot or kettle. 锅 (guō) is a wide cooking pot or wok used for food.
Can 壶 be used for things other than tea and water?
Yes. You will see 一壶酒 (yì hú jiǔ) a pot of wine and 咖啡壶 (kāfēihú) coffee pot. It fits any liquid served or stored in a pot-like container.