垩

堊
è
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 white clay; chalk
  2. 2 to whitewash

Examples

HSK 6
Gōngrén yòng è fěnshuā le qiáng.
Workers whitewashed the wall.
HSK 7-9
Báièjì yīn báisè de ètǔ ér démíng.
The Cretaceous is named in Chinese after chalk deposits.

Tips

usage
Best known in 白垩纪 - the Cretaceous Period, literally the 'white-chalk era', named for its chalk beds. 垩 by itself means white clay used to coat walls.

Components

radical
土 tǔ
earth; soil
Bottom earth radical 土. Chalk is a kind of white clay, so the soil radical carries the core meaning.
phonetic
亚 yà
second; (sound)
Top 亚 supplies the sound (è shifted from yà); its 'second / inferior' meaning has no part here.

Stroke Order

垩 è