沟

溝

gōu

勾 + 氵

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

gōu (noun) ditch; gutter; groove

gōu (noun) ravine; gully

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 勾 represents the sound. Simplified form of 溝.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 勾

About

The character 沟 is a phonosemantic compound: the left-side radical 氵 (water) indicates the meaning, and the right-side component 勾 indicates the sound. It is the simplified form of 溝, whose phonetic was 冓, a character originally representing an interwoven timber structure but serving only a phonetic role here. In the simplification, 冓 was replaced by the simpler 勾, which has the same pronunciation, while the water radical anchors the meaning to a ditch, trench, or water channel (artificial or natural) used for drainage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

沟里有很多水。

Gōu lǐ yǒu hěn duō shuǐ.

There is a lot of water in the ditch.

小心路上的小水沟。

Xiǎoxīn lù shàng de xiǎo shuǐgōu.

Be careful of the small ditch on the road.

那条沟渠是用来灌溉的。

Nà tiáo gōuqú shì yòng lái guàngài de.

That canal is used for irrigation.

我们需要沟通一下这个问题。

Wǒmen xūyào gōutōng yīxià zhège wèntí.

We need to communicate about this issue.

两代人之间存在着代沟。

Liǎng dài rén zhī jiān cúnzàizhe dàigōu.

There is a generation gap between the two generations.

挖掘机正在挖掘一条深沟。

Wājuéjī zhèngzài wājué yī tiáo shēn gōu.

The excavator is digging a deep trench.

历史的鸿沟难以轻易跨越。

Lìshǐ de hónggōu nányǐ qīngyì kuàyuè.

The chasm of history is difficult to cross easily.

复杂的地形布满了纵横的沟壑。

Fùzá de dìxíng bùmǎnle zònghéng de gōuhè.

The complex terrain is covered with crisscrossing ravines.

Related Characters

Component: 勾

Component: 氵

沟