How to Write 汩 (gǔ) — Meaning “Gurgle / flow”

Picture a small stream (氵) with a mouth (曰) at the surface, producing a constant 'gurgle, gurgle' sound. The mouth shape also looks like bubbles rising, reminding you of the bubbling water sound.

The right side is 曰 (a wide rectangle with a horizontal line inside), not 日 (sun). Make sure the horizontal stroke inside 曰 does not touch the left vertical stroke, and keep the character narrow so the water radical fits properly.

汩 (gǔ) means 'gurgle' or 'flow' and has the water radical plus 曰. 㳄 (xián) means 'saliva' and has water plus 欠 (yawn), while 氿 (guǐ) means 'spring water' and has water plus 九. Visually, 汩 uses a box-like 曰, 㳄 uses a slanted 欠, and 氿 uses 九 on the right.

汩 is most often used in the reduplicated form 汩汩 to describe the sound or appearance of water gushing or bubbling, like a spring or stream. It appears in literary or descriptive writing, evoking a peaceful natural scene, but it is not common in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 汩 include: 汩汩 (gǔ gǔ) — Gurgling / bubbling; 汩流 (gǔ liú) — Gurgling stream; 汩没 (gǔ mò) — To submerge / to be lost.