缶
contributes the sense of clay pots and jars — the vessel itself · Kangxi radical 121
contributes the sense of clay pots and jars — the vessel itself, and by extension its being chipped, cracked, or emptied
The old graph shows a wide-bellied clay jar: the bottom half is the open container, drawn as a cupped shape, and the top is either its lid or the pestle used to pound and shape the clay — this part is genuinely disputed. In the modern form you can still read the two halves: the 午-like upper element sitting on 凵, a bowl-shape open at the top. Because such jars were the everyday measure of what one had, characters with 缶 often talk not about the pot but about its condition — 缺 a chipped vessel and so a lack, 罄 a jar scraped empty, 罅 a crack in the fired clay.
缶 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of clay pots and jars — the vessel itself
- Strokes
- 6
- Characters
- 14
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 121
Characters with 缶 (9 of 14)
HSK 4 · 1
HSK 5 · 1
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 缶 mean?
缶 means "contributes the sense of clay pots and jars — the vessel itself". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 缶?
14 characters in this dictionary contain 缶, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 5.
Is 缶 a radical?
Yes — 缶 is Kangxi radical 121, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 缶 have?
缶 is written in 6 strokes.