湍

tuān

氵 + 耑

Definitions

tuān to rush (of water)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 耑 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 耑

About

湍 is a phono-semantic compound, with the water radical 氵 (abbreviated from 水) marking its semantic domain of water, and 耑 acting as the phonetic component. Although 耑 originally meant a plant's root, it is purely a sound indicator in this character. The character signifies rushing water, rapids, or turbulent currents, and is commonly used in geographic and literary descriptions of water surging swiftly through narrow gorges or steep riverbeds. It often appears in words like 湍急, which highlights the extreme speed and urgency of the flow.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这条河水很湍急。

Zhè tiáo hé shuǐ hěn tuānjí.

This river's water is very rapid.

湍流的声音很大。

Tuānliú de shēngyīn hěn dà.

The sound of the rapid flow is very loud.

小心湍急的河流。

Xiǎoxīn tuānjí de héliú.

Be careful of the rapid river.

山间的溪流湍急而清澈。

Shān jiān de xīliú tuānjí ér qīngchè.

The mountain stream is rapid and clear.

暴雨后河水变得湍急。

Bàoyǔ hòu héshuǐ biàn de tuānjí.

After the heavy rain, the river water became rapid.

湍流中航行非常危险。

Tuānliú zhōng hángxíng fēi cháng wēixiǎn.

Sailing in rapids is very dangerous.

由于地形陡峭，这里的水流常年湍急。

Yóuyú dìxíng dǒuqiào, zhèlǐ de shuǐliú chángnián tuānjí.

Due to the steep terrain, the water flow here is rapid all year round.

工程师们设计了特殊的水坝来减缓湍流的速度。

Gōngchéngshī men shèjì le tèshū de shuǐbà lái jiǎnhuǎn tuānliú de sùdù.

The engineers designed a special dam to slow down the speed of the rapids.

Related Characters

Component: 氵

Component: 耑

湍