How to Write 鏊 (ào) — Meaning “Griddle”

Imagine a metal (金) griddle on a stove, and the top part 敖 looks like a person stirring batter. Think of the phrase 'Ao's metal pan' — the sound 'ao' in 敖 matches the pinyin, and the metal bottom tells you it's a cooking tool.

Write the top part 敖 first with 11 strokes: start with 土, then 方, then 攵 (the 'whip' radical). Below that, add 金 in 8 strokes, making sure the top left of 金 aligns under 敖's center. A common mistake is making the top too wide or the bottom too narrow, so keep the overall shape balanced.

鏊 means 'griddle' and has 金 at the bottom, while 錾 (zàn, 'engrave') has 金 at the top and 斩 below, and 鍪 (móu, 'ancient cooking pot') has 金 at the top and 矛 below. Visually, 鏊 is wider and flatter, matching its flat pan meaning, whereas 錾 and 鍪 are taller characters.

鏊 appears mainly in northern Chinese cooking contexts, especially for making jianbing (煎饼) — a thin pancake. It is often paired with 子 to form 鏊子 (ào zi), the everyday word for 'griddle'. You might see it in recipes or in descriptions of traditional street food stalls.

Common words containing 鏊 include: 鏊子 (ào zi) — Griddle; flat pan for baking; 煎饼鏊 (jiān bǐng ào) — pancake griddle; 铁鏊 (tiě ào) — iron griddle.