渠 qú — canal; ditch · English

渠

qú

canal; ditch

At a glance · 渠

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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.

小篆从水，巨声，本义为人工沟渠。隶变后结构稳定，未见甲骨文。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为田间水道、沟渠。

Structure

形声字，从水（意符），巨（jù）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinqú

Radical氵

Strokes12

UnicodeU+6E20

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

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

English canal; ditch A man-made channel or ditch for water.

Français canal; fossé Un canal ou un fossé aménagé pour l’eau.

Español canal; zanja Un canal o zanja hecha por el hombre.

العربية قناة؛ مصرف قناة أو مصرف مائي صناعي.

Русский канал; канава Искусственный водный канал или канава.

Common words

渠道qú dàochannel
渠qúcanal

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