How to Write 圹 (kuàng) — Meaning “Open field / Grave”

Imagine a broad (广) patch of earth (土) that is so wide it becomes an open field — or a grave dug into that earth. The visual of a wide, flat land with soil helps link the components to the meaning of 'open field' or 'grave.'

Write 土 first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then add 广 (dot, horizontal, left-falling stroke). The left-falling stroke of 广 should slant from top-left to bottom-left, not be too short or curved. A common error is making the right side too narrow or misplacing the dot.

圣 (shèng) has 又 (hand) above 土, meaning 'holy' or 'sage' — visually different with the extra top part. 圤 (pǔ) has 卜 (divination) on the left of 土, while 圹 has 广 on the right. Their meanings are unrelated: 圹 is about land or graves, 圣 is about sacredness, and 圤 is a rare character for 'to fall prostrate.'

圹 is not common in everyday speech; it appears mainly in literary or classical terms like 墓圹 (grave pit) and 圹野 (open wilderness). The word 圹野 is often replaced by the more common 旷野 in modern writing, but 圹 is still used in historical or archaeological descriptions of burial sites.

Common words containing 圹 include: 圹野 (kuàng yě) — Open wilderness; 墓圹 (mù kuàng) — grave pit; 圹垠 (kuàng yín) — Vast expanse.