How to Write 漏 (lòu) — Meaning “To leak”

Imagine a house (屋) with a leaky roof, and water (氵) is dripping inside. Picture rain falling through a hole in the roof — that visual of water entering the house directly leads to the meaning 'to leak'.

Pay attention to the right side: it is 屋 (wū), which has a 尸 (corpse) radical on top and 至 (arrive) below. A common mistake is writing the bottom part as 到 (dào) instead of 至; also ensure the water radical on the left is written with three dots, not four.

漏 (lòu) means 'to leak' and always involves water escaping from a container or space. 渝 (yú) means 'to change' (as in 坚贞不渝) and is not related to leaks. 渡 (dù) means 'to cross' a river or water, so focus on the action: leaking vs. crossing vs. changing.

You use 漏 when talking about water leaks, like 水管漏水 (water pipe leaking), or in abstract terms like 漏洞 (loophole) in an argument or system. It also appears in 遗漏 (omission), meaning something was accidentally left out, for example in a list or report.

Common words containing 漏 include: 漏水 (lòu shuǐ) — Water leak; 漏洞 (lòu dòng) — Loophole / Leak; 遗漏 (yí lòu) — Omission; oversight.