How to Write 廒 (áo) — Meaning “granary”

Think of a granary with a wide roof (广) and inside a man (敖) carrying many bags of grain. The left part of 敖 looks like a person with arms out, and the right part suggests grain items, helping you picture the storehouse.

First write the radical 广: dot at top-left, then a horizontal stroke followed by a left-falling stroke that extends below the inside. Then add 敖: start with 土 (earth) on top, then a vertical hook, then 攵 (to strike). Keep 敖 balanced under the roof — do not make the inner part too tall or too wide.

The main difference is the inner component: 廒 has 敖 (áo) and means "granary", 庳 has 卑 (bēi, low) and means "low building" or "humble", while 庵 has 奄 (yǎn, to cover) and means "hut" or "Buddhist nunnery". All share the building radical 广, but their meanings and pronunciations change with the inner part.

廒 is not common in everyday conversation; it appears mainly in formal or historical contexts like 粮廒 (liáng áo, grain storehouse) and 仓廒 (cāng áo, granary). You may encounter it in literature describing ancient food storage or in traditional Chinese architecture terms.

Common words containing 廒 include: 粮廒 (liáng áo) — Granary; storehouse for grain.; 仓廒 (cāng áo) — Granary; 盐廒 (yán áo) — salt warehouse / salt granary.