How to Write 埚 (guō) — Meaning “Crucible; pot.”

Imagine a clay pot (土) with a swirling vortex (呙 looks like a whirl) inside it, representing a crucible where metals melt and swirl. This visual of a "swirl pot" helps link the shape to its meaning of a small melting vessel.

Keep the left radical 土 narrow and compact, with the three strokes evenly spaced. The right part 呙 has a wider top and a narrower bottom, so avoid making both sides the same width. A common mistake is writing 土 too large, which makes the character unbalanced.

埚 (guō) means a crucible or pot, focusing on a clay container. 坡 (pō) means a slope or embankment, sharing the 土 radical but using 皮 for sound. 坤 (kūn) refers to the earth or female principle, with 申 as the phonetic part. Each character has a distinct second component that changes the meaning entirely.

埚 appears mostly in scientific or technical contexts, like 坩埚 (gān guō), meaning crucible used in labs for melting metals. It also appears in daily language for small pots, such as 埚子 (guō zi), a small cooking pot. Culturally, the character recalls ancient bronze-casting technology where clay crucibles were essential.

Common words containing 埚 include: 坩埚 (gān guō) — crucible; 埚子 (guō zi) — Crucible; small pot.; 熔埚 (róng guō) — Crucible.