How to Write 窝 (wō) — Meaning “nest / den / pit”

Picture a bird building its nest inside a cave (穴). The bottom part 呙 looks like a spiral of twigs or a curled-up animal. So remember: a cave with a cozy spiral home is a "窝" (nest).

The top radical 穴 should be written wider than the bottom part 呙 to cover it like a roof. A common mistake is making the 穴 too narrow or writing 呙 with uneven strokes. The bottom part has a vertical stroke followed by a horizontal bend—keep it balanced.

窝 (nest/den) uses 呙 below 穴, while 窄 (narrow) uses 乍. 窅 (deep/sunken) uses 目 under 穴. Visually, 窝 has a more rounded bottom, 窄 has a flat bottom, and 窅 has an eye-like component. Their meanings are unrelated: 窝 is about dwelling places, 窄 is about width, and 窅 is rare and literary.

窝 appears in common words like 鸟窝 (bird's nest) and 狗窝 (doghouse, also a messy room). The word 窝心 has opposite meanings—it can mean heartwarming or feeling vexed—depending on the region. In daily life, 窝 also describes a place to stay, like a hideout.

Common words containing 窝 include: 鸟窝 (niǎo wō) — bird's nest; 窝心 (wō xīn) — heartwarming / feeling vexed; 狗窝 (gǒu wō) — Doghouse; kennel.