洼 (wā) is a Chinese character meaning “a hollow in the ground”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 圭 (jade ceremonial tablet), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “hollow; depression”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 圭
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·水部「洼，深池也。从水圭聲」；Unicode U+6D3C radical 85 (水)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–2 笔为氵，3–8 笔为圭（3+6=9）
Memory aid
Water (氵) gathering at the foot of a jade tablet (圭) standing in the ground — the low hollow where the water settles.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 水洼shuǐ wāpuddle; pool of water洼 = wā
- 洼地wā dìlow-lying land; depression; basin洼 = wā
Go deeper
All readings
hollow; depression
a hollow in the ground; low-lying; a puddle or small pool
地面低下凹陷的地方；也指凹陷处积的小水坑。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 水洼shuǐ wāpuddle; pool of water洼 = wā
- 洼地wā dìlow-lying land; depression; basin洼 = wā
Sound component
圭 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 洼 mean?
洼 (wā) means a hollow in the ground; low-lying; a puddle or small pool.
How do you pronounce 洼?
It is pronounced wā.
What parts is 洼 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 圭 (jade ceremonial tablet), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·水部「洼，深池也。从水圭聲」；Unicode U+6D3C radical 85 (水)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–2 笔为氵，3–8 笔为圭（3+6=9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 洼 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 洼?
水. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 洼?
Common ones are 水洼 and 洼地. The reading of 洼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.