How to Write 埯 (ǎn) — Meaning “a small pit for seeds / to plant in pits”

Imagine a farmer using a big hat (the top part of 奄) to scoop out a small pit in the dirt (土). The hat covers the hole after dropping seeds inside, so 埯 means 'to plant in pits'. Picture the word 'ant' (ǎn) digging a tiny hole in the ground — that helps you recall both the sound and the meaning.

Pay attention to the left radical 土: its last stroke is a short horizontal line, not a lifting stroke. The right side 奄 has a large '大' on top, and below it is a curved '电' without the vertical hook. A common mistake is to make the 土 too tall or to write the bottom of 奄 too wide — keep the whole character balanced and compact.

While 型 (xíng) means 'model' or 'type' and 垌 (dòng) refers to a field or a cave, 埯 is specifically about farming — a small pit for seeds. Visually, 型 has a 'open' top and a 'soil' bottom, while 垌 uses '同' on the right. 埯 always contains the 'cover' element 奄, which the others lack.

埯 is a specialized farming term, mostly found in rural or agricultural contexts. You might see it in instructions for planting melons or beans, like 埯瓜 (planting melons in pits). It is not common in everyday speech or HSK vocabulary, but it appears in traditional farming literature and some regional dialects.

Common words containing 埯 include: 埯瓜 (ǎn guā) — to plant melons in pits; 挖埯 (wā ǎn) — dig a small pit for planting; 埯种 (ǎn zhǒng) — to plant in pits / dibble.