瓦
marks things made of fired clay — roof tiles · Kangxi radical 98
marks things made of fired clay — roof tiles, pottery jars, bottles and other earthenware
瓦 began as a picture of two curved roof tiles hooked over each other, the way tiles overlap on a roof. In the modern shape you can still read that: the short top stroke and the hook below it are the two tiles, one lying over the lip of the other. Because tiles were the most ordinary fired-clay product, 瓦 came to stand for pottery in general, which is why it turns up in the names of jars (瓮, 甏), bottles (瓶), vases (瓿), steamers (甑) and porcelain (瓷), as well as in roofing words like 甍 and 甓.
瓦 at a glance
- Meaning
- marks things made of fired clay — roof tiles
- Strokes
- 4
- Characters
- 14
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 98
Characters with 瓦 (12 of 14)
HSK 4 · 1
HSK 6 · 1
Beyond HSK · 10
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 瓦 mean?
瓦 means "marks things made of fired clay — roof tiles". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 瓦?
14 characters in this dictionary contain 瓦, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 6.
Is 瓦 a radical?
Yes — 瓦 is Kangxi radical 98, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 瓦 have?
瓦 is written in 4 strokes.