谷 (gǔ): valley

Meanings

1 valley
2 grain
3 corn

Examples

山谷

Shāngǔ

valley; gorge

稻谷

Dàogǔ

unhusked rice; paddy

Tips

memory

Pictograph of a valley between two mountains with water flowing through

Components

pictograph

谷 gǔ

valley; gorge

Pictograph of a valley between two mountains: upper four strokes show streams of water emerging from a mountain gap (an inverted-V opening into branches), and the bottom 口-shape is the valley mouth where water flows into the plain. Kangxi radical #150. The 'grain' meaning of 谷 (五谷 five grains) is from a separate traditional character 穀, merged in simplification.

Radical

Valley Kangxi #150

The valley radical. The Shuowen reads 谷 as the partial water flowing from a mountain mouth — top strokes for the half-emerging stream, 口 below for the valley opening. Indexes a small group: 豁 (open valley/clear), 欲 (desire — phonetic borrow), 豃 (gully). The 'grain' sense (谷子, 稻谷) shares the same simplified form but is historically a separate character (穀).