noun HSK 7-9 #4,465

Measure Word

一个

Meanings

  1. 1 nest
  2. 2 den
  3. 3 lair
  4. 4 pit

Examples

Niǎor zài shùshàng zuò le yīgè wō.
The bird made a nest in the tree.
Tā zhěngtiān wō zàijiā lǐ.
He stayed cooped up at home all day.

Tips

usage
can also be used as a verb meaning 'to stay/huddle in one place,' as in 在家 (cooped up at home). It can also mean a dent or pit (e.g., 酒窝 dimple).

Components

radical
xué
cave; hole (radical)
Top cave radical — the indexing radical, depicting a roofed hollow. Anchors in the imagery of a sheltered den: bird nest, rabbit hole, fox lair. Same radical sits over empty, rush, 穿 pierce, window — characters sharing the 'opening in wall or earth' frame.
phonetic
guō
crooked mouth (phonetic)
Bottom supplies the sound — guō drifted to wō, regular initial alternation. Traditional used ; the 1956 reform regularized to . Same phonetic recurs in guō pot, wō snail, wō whirlpool. Pure phonetic role; the 'crooked mouth' meaning is incidental.

Stroke Order