How to Write 垚 (yáo) — Meaning “high; lofty”

Picture three piles of dirt (土) stacked like a tall tower reaching into the sky. The number three emphasizes "very high," so think of the phrase "three soils make a lofty mountain."

Write each 土 component from top to bottom: first the top horizontal stroke, then the vertical, then the bottom horizontal. In the finished character, the top two 土 should be slightly smaller and narrower than the bottom one to keep it balanced, like a pyramid.

垚 has three 土 stacked vertically, while 圻 (qí) contains 土 on the left and 斤 on the right, meaning a boundary or a bend. 圼 (usually read niè or yì) has 土 on the left and 日 on top, often meaning a dark pit or a collapsed bank. Visually, only 垚 has three repeating 土 radicals.

垚 is rare in everyday language but appears in classical or literary writing to describe towering mountains or extremely high objects. It is also occasionally used in names (especially for boys) to convey ambition and greatness, similar to using three "earth" elements to symbolize solid strength.

Common words containing 垚 include: 垚垚 (yáo yáo) — towering; very high; 垚土 (yáo tǔ) — high mound; 垚山 (yáo shān) — high mountain.