How to Write 池 (chí) — Meaning “Pool / Pond”

Imagine a swimming pool filled with water and think: "Water (氵) is also (也) found in a pool." The phrase "also water" helps link the two parts together. This mnemonic ties the meaning and components into one simple image.

When writing 池, first write the three dots of the water radical on the left, then write 也 on the right. A common mistake is making the 也 part too wide or forgetting the upward hook at the end of its last stroke. Keep both sides balanced and the 也 slightly narrower than the water radical.

池 has the water radical plus 也 and means "pool" or "pond." 㳄 has the water radical plus 欠 and means "saliva" — it is very rare and not used in daily life. 氿 has the water radical plus 九 and refers to a spring; it is also uncommon. Unlike these, 池 appears in frequent words like 游泳池 (swimming pool) and 电池 (battery).

池 appears in everyday words such as 游泳池 (swimming pool), 水池 (water pool), and 电池 (battery, literally "electric pool"). Culturally, 池 is part of the idiom 城门失火，殃及池鱼 (when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer), which warns about innocent bystanders being affected by others' troubles.

Common words containing 池 include: 游泳池 (yóu yǒng chí) — Swimming pool; 水池 (shuǐ chí) — Pond / Pool; 电池 (diàn chí) — battery.