臼 (jiù): mortar (for pounding grain)

Measure Word

一个石臼 gè

Meanings

1 mortar (for pounding grain)
2 anything mortar-shaped

Characters

臼

jiù

mortar

Examples

古人用石臼舂米。

Gǔrén yòng shí jiù chōng mǐ.

People in ancient times used stone mortars to pound rice.

牙医告诉我有一颗臼齿坏了。

Yáyī gàosu wǒ yǒu yī kē jiùchǐ huài le.

The dentist told me one of my molars has gone bad.

Tips

memory

The character 臼 is itself a pictograph of a mortar - the four small strokes inside represent grain. Its molar-shaped hollow gives the medical term 臼齿 ('mortar-tooth' = molar).

usage

As a free word, 臼 is mostly literary/historical. Common compounds: 石臼 (stone mortar), 臼齿 (molar), 杵臼 (pestle and mortar), 跳出窠臼 ('jump out of the rut' - break a stale pattern).

Components

pictograph

臼 jiù

mortar

A direct drawing of a stone mortar viewed from above - the rectangular bowl with grain marks inside. 臼 is Kangxi radical 134 and appears as a recognisable component inside 舀 (scoop), 舅 (mother's brother, originally one who pounds rice for guests), 鼠 (rat, gnawing at the grain bin). Not decomposable into smaller meaningful parts.