How to Write 隍 (huáng) — Meaning “Dry moat”

Picture an emperor (皇) standing on a muddy mound (阝) looking into an empty ditch. The emperor is disappointed because the moat has no water — it's a dry moat! This image connects the parts to the meaning of a dried-up city moat.

The left radical 阝 is written with two strokes: a flattish hook and a vertical line. The right part 皇 has a short left-falling stroke (撇) under the top '白', then a horizontal line, and the bottom '王' should be centered. A common mistake is making the top part of 皇 too tall — keep it compact so the whole character stays balanced.

隍 (dry moat) uses the radical 阝 on the left, while 郗 and 郛 use 阝 on the right. 郗 is a surname or an ancient place name, and 郛 means the outer wall of a city. Visually, 隍 has 皇 on the right, 郗 has 希 on the left, and 郛 has 孚 on the left. The meaning and position of the ear radical are key to distinguishing them.

The character 隍 appears mainly in the term 城隍 (chéng huáng), which refers to the City God in Chinese folk religion. The most common place you will see it is in 城隍庙 (chéng huáng miào), a temple dedicated to the City God, often found in older Chinese cities. These temples are cultural landmarks where people pray for protection and good fortune.

Common words containing 隍 include: 城隍庙 (chéng huáng miào) — City God Temple.; 城隍 (chéng huáng) — City God; city moat.; 隍池 (huáng chí) — Moat.