How to Write 泶 (xué) — Meaning “mountain stream; rocky spring”

Imagine a small stream (氵) flowing through a rocky area where students (学) are studying geology. The stream splashes over rocks as the students observe it. This mental picture links "water" and "study" to create the meaning of a mountain stream.

Pay attention to the top part: the water radical 氵 is written as three dots, not a full 水. The bottom part 学 has seven strokes, and you must keep the left and right sides balanced. A common mistake is making the top too wide or the bottom too narrow, so practice keeping the whole character compact.

汞 (gǒng) means "mercury" and is made of 水 (water) and 工 (work), while 沓 (tà) means "repeated" or "garrulous" and combines 水 (water) and 曰 (say). In contrast, 泶 uses 学 (study) under water. Visually, 汞 has a flattened top, 沓 has a square top with 曰, and 泶 has an elongated top with 学's roof.

泶 is rare and mostly appears in proper nouns like place names, such as 泶河 (Xué Hé, Xue River) or 泶岩 (Xué Yán, Xueyan). You might encounter it on maps or in historical texts describing mountain streams. It is not part of common vocabulary or the HSK exam.

Common words containing 泶 include: 泶河 (xué hé) — Xue River; 泶水 (xué shuǐ) — mountain stream water; 泶岩 (xué yán) — Xueyan (a place name or rocky spring).