How to Write 窿 (lóng) — Meaning “Hole; cavity”

Imagine a dragon (which sounds like 隆) digging a huge hole inside a cave (穴). The dragon "lóng" makes a big "lóng" hole, connecting the sound and the meaning.

Write the top part 穴 first: dot, dot, horizontal hook, left-falling stroke, dot. Then below write 隆, which starts with a left ear (阝), followed by 夂 (three strokes), a short horizontal, and finally 生. A common mistake is forgetting the small horizontal stroke inside 隆, so be careful to include it.

窿 means a general hole or cavity, often used in the word 窟窿 (hole or debt). 窨 (yìn) means a cellar or underground chamber, like 窨井 (manhole). 窬 (yú) means a small opening in a wall. Visually, 窿 has 隆 below, while 窨 has 音 and 窬 has 俞.

窿 is not a common standalone character; it appears mainly in the word 窟窿, which means a hole or cavity, and also figuratively a financial debt (e.g., 补窟窿 – to fill a hole/debt). Another formal usage is 穹窿 (vault or dome) in architecture. It is rarely used in daily conversation except in these fixed words.

Common words containing 窿 include: 窟窿 (kū lóng) — hole / cavity / debt; 穹窿 (qióng lóng) — Vault / dome; 窿洞 (lóng dòng) — Hole; cavity.