How to Write 沼 (zhǎo) — Meaning “Marsh or pond”

Imagine a marsh where the water (氵) is so deep it seems to call (召) out to you, saying 'zhǎo, zhǎo'. This mental image connects the sound and the water meaning, making the character easier to recall.

Write the left water radical first with its three strokes: dot, dot, lift stroke, making it narrow. Then on the right, write 召 with the 刀 (knife) on top and 口 (mouth) below, keeping the overall shape balanced—common mistakes include making the water radical too wide or misplacing the 口.

沼 (zhǎo) means a marsh or stagnant pond, while 汊 (chà) means a branch of a river or a stream fork. Visually, 沼 uses the component 召 on the right, whereas 汊 uses 叉 (fork), so the right part clearly distinguishes their meanings—water gathering versus water splitting.

沼 appears in scientific terms like 沼泽 (swamp) and 沼气 (biogas or marsh gas), often in geography or environmental contexts. It is not a common daily character, so you will mostly encounter it in formal descriptions of wetlands or energy sources.

Common words containing 沼 include: 沼泽 (zhǎo zé) — Marsh or swamp; 沼气 (zhǎo qì) — Biogas or marsh gas; 沼池 (zhǎo chí) — Marsh pool.