How to Write 溉 (gài) — Meaning “To irrigate; to wash.”

Picture a thirsty field (represented by 既, which can remind you of "already" needing water) receiving life-giving water from the 氵 radical. Imagine the water pouring in to irrigate the dry soil, so 溉 means both to irrigate and to wash. This visual of water arriving just in time helps link the form to the meaning.

The left radical 氵 is written first with three strokes: dot, dot, and a short horizontal dash. The right part 既 has a specific order: start with the horizontal stroke at the top, then the left vertical, followed by the inner strokes, and finally the lower left component. A common mistake is to make the right side too wide, so keep the left and right balanced, with the water radical taking about one-third of the total width.

Unlike 溉, which means to irrigate or wash with water, 流 (liú) means to flow and has the phonetic component 㐬 instead of 既. 浙 (zhè) is the name of a river (Zhejiang province) and uses the phonetic 折. Visually, 溉 has a distinct right side with multiple strokes, while 流 has a more flowing structure and 浙 includes a left radical 氵 with a simpler right side.

Today, 溉 appears mainly in the word 灌溉 (guàn gài, to irrigate), which is common in agriculture and gardening contexts. It is not used frequently in everyday conversation because it is a more specialized, literary character. In classical Chinese, it also implied cleansing, but modern usage focuses on supplying water to crops.

Common words containing 溉 include: 灌溉 (guàn gài) — to irrigate; 溉田 (gài tián) — To irrigate fields.; 溉灌 (gài guàn) — To irrigate..