How to Write 澉 (gǎn) — Meaning “to wash or rinse”

Imagine you dare (敢) to put your hands in cold water (氵) to wash a dirty shirt. The word 'dare' helps you remember the right side, and water reminds you the action involves rinsing.

The left radical 氵 should be narrow and slightly slanted, while the right side 敢 is wider and taller. A common mistake is making the left side too large or forgetting the third dot in 氵 is placed lower than the first two.

All three have the water radical, but their meanings differ: 澉 means 'to wash or rinse', 渝 means 'to change' (as in a river course), and 渡 means 'to cross' (a river or obstacle). Visually, the right side is different: 澉 has 敢, 渝 has 俞, and 渡 has 度.

澉 is rare in daily speech but appears in the place name 澉浦 (Gǎn Pǔ), a town in Zhejiang province. It also appears in specialized phrases like 澉洗 (to wash) and 澉制 (to wash and prepare), often in historical or technical contexts.

Common words containing 澉 include: 澉浦 (gǎn pǔ) — Ganpu (a place name); 澉洗 (gǎn xǐ) — to wash or rinse; 澉制 (gǎn zhì) — to wash and prepare.