洼 (wā) · depression; low-lying area; hollow

Meanings

1 depression; low-lying area; hollow
2 low-lying; sunken

Characters

洼

wā

depression; low-lying

Examples

HSK 2

雨后路上有很多水洼。

Yǔ hòu lùshang yǒu hěnduō shuǐ wā.

After the rain, there are lots of puddles on the road.

HSK 7-9

这块地势低洼，容易积水。

Zhè kuài dìshì dī wā, róngyì jīshuǐ.

This terrain is low-lying - water collects easily.

Tips

memory

Radical 氵 (water) + 圭 (jade tablet, just phonetic) - water collects in a low place, hence 'hollow / depression.' Most common compounds: 水洼 (puddle), 低洼 (low-lying), 洼地 (depression / wetland). The traditional form 窪 uses 穴 (cave) instead, reinforcing the 'hollow' image.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form of 水)

Left three-drops water radical - the indexing radical. Marks 洼 as a low-lying water feature: a hollow, dip, or shallow puddle. Anchors it in the water family with 池 (pond), 沟 (ditch), 沼 (marsh).

phonetic

圭 guī

jade tablet; ancient ritual gnomon

Right side 圭 supplies the sound - guī drifted to wā through a labial-velar shift, the same alternation seen in 哇 (interjection) and 蛙 (frog). The two stacked 土 of 圭 also reinforce the image: earth piled up on either side of a depression, making the hollow that water settles into.