垢 gòu — dirt; filth · English

垢

gòu

dirt; filth

At a glance · 垢

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从土，后声，本义为污秽、尘土。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为脏污、尘垢。

Structure

形声字，从土（意符，尘污），后（hòu）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyingòu

Radical土

Strokes9

UnicodeU+57A2

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English dirt; filth Dirt, filth, or grime.

Français saleté; crasse Saleté, crasse ou poussière.

Español suciedad; mugre Suciedad, mugre o polvo.

العربية وسخ؛ قذارة وسخ أو قذارة.

Русский грязь; сор Грязь, сор или накипь.

Common words

垢gòudirt
污垢wū gòufilth

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