How to Write 炻 (shí) — Meaning “stoneware”

Picture a 石 (stone) sitting in a 火 (fire) to become hard, durable pottery—like a stone transformed by flames. The combination "fire-stone" directly hints at stoneware, a type of ceramic.

The left radical 火 shrinks when used as a component—write it as 火 with the last stroke turning into a dot instead of a full dash. Keep the right side 石 (stone) balanced; its top horizontal stroke should align with the top of the fire radical.

炻 (stoneware) combines 火 + 石 and always refers to a fired clay material. 灶 (stove) uses 火 + 土 (earth) and means a cooking hearth. 灸 (moxibustion) has 火 + 久 (long time) and means a medical treatment using burning herbs. Their right-side components—石, 土, 久—are visually distinct.

炻 appears mainly in specialized vocabulary for ceramic products, such as 炻器 (stoneware) and 炻瓷 (stoneware porcelain). It is uncommon in daily speech but essential for discussing durable, high-fire ceramics used in tableware, tiles, and industrial applications.

Common words containing 炻 include: 炻器 (shí qì) — stoneware; 炻瓷 (shí cí) — stoneware porcelain; 炻砖 (shí zhuān) — stoneware tile.