How to Write 沲 (tuó) — Meaning “ripple; river name”

Imagine a small "it" (它) sitting in water (氵), causing gentle ripples around it. The visual of water circling an object helps link the shape to the meaning of "rippling". You can think: "Water ripples because it (它) is there."

Write the three dots of 氵 first, then the 它 component: dot, dot, horizontal hook, vertical stroke, and a vertical curved hook at the end. A common mistake is making the last stroke of 它 too straight—it should curve like a hook. Also keep the right side narrow so the character stays balanced.

沲 uses 它 (tuó) on the right, while 㳄 uses 欠 (qiàn, meaning "yawn") and means saliva, not water ripples. 汊 uses 叉 (chà, fork) and refers to a branch of a river. Their right-side components are visually different: it looks like a house shape, 欠 looks like a person bending, and 叉 is like a cross.

沲 is very rare in daily conversation but appears in classical poetry and geographic names, such as the ancient Duo River (沲水). The word 澹沲 (dàn tuó) describes gentle ripples and is used in literary descriptions. Learners may encounter it when reading classical texts or historical maps.

Common words containing 沲 include: 沲水 (tuó shuǐ) — Duo River; 澹沲 (dàn tuó) — Rippling gently; 漪沲 (yī tuó) — rippling.