How to Write 壑 (hè) — Meaning “ravine / gully”

Imagine a hand (又) scooping out a deep hole in the ground (土) while shouting "Hey!" (sounds like 壑's pinyin hè). This visual of digging a ravine can help you recall the character's meaning and pronunciation.

The character is top-heavy with many strokes on top. Start by writing the upper left part neatly, then the right side, and finally the wide bottom 土. A common mistake is making the 土 at the bottom too small; it should be broad and stable to support the complex top.

壑 means "ravine" and has the 土 (earth) radical, while 墀 (chí) means "courtyard steps" and uses 土 but has a different phonetic part 犀. 增 (zēng) means "increase" and has the 土 radical too, but its right side is 曾. The key difference is the top part: 壑 has 㕡 and 又, while 墀 has 犀, and 增 has 曾.

壑 appears in words like 沟壑 (gōu hè, gully) for geography and 丘壑 (qiū hè, hills and valleys) to describe someone's inner depth or artistic conception. In classical poetry, it often symbolizes vast, untamed nature, and the phrase "胸有丘壑" (xiōng yǒu qiū hè) means having great vision or creativity.

Common words containing 壑 include: 沟壑 (gōu hè) — Gully / Ravine; 丘壑 (qiū hè) — hills and valleys; depth of character; 壑口 (hè kǒu) — gap / mountain pass.