窟 (kū): cave
窟 (kū) is a Chinese character meaning “cave.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 穴 (semantic) and 屈 (phonetic). It ranks #2705 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 窟 cave. Its radical form 穴 (cave) appears in many related characters such as 穿 (chuān, to wear, 穿透), 空 (kōng, empty, sky), 突 (tū, sudden).
Definitions
- cave
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 窟 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 贫民窟 | pín mín kū | slum housing |
| 窟窿 | kū long | hole |
| 洞窟 | dòng kū | a cave |
| 魔窟 | mó kū | lit. nest of devils |
| 石窟 | shí kū | rock cave |
| 四大石窟 | sì dà shí kū | the four great caves, namely: Longmen Grottoes 龍門石窟|龙门石窟[Long2 men2 Shi2 ku1] at Luoyang, Henan, Yungang Caves 雲岡石窟|云... |
| 龙门石窟 | lóng mén shí kū | Longmen Grottoes at Luoyang 洛陽|洛阳[Luo4 yang2], Henan |
| 麦积山石窟 | mài jī shān shí kū | Mt Maiji Caves at Tianshui 天水, Gansu |
| 莫高窟 | mò gāo kū | Mogao caves in Dunhuang 敦煌, Gansu |
| 销金窟 | xiāo jīn kū | money squandering establishment (e.g. gambling den, brothel etc) |
| 云冈石窟 | yún gāng shí kū | Yungang Caves at Datong 大同, Shanxi 山西 |
| 吴哥窟 | wú gē kū | Angkor Wat, temple complex in Cambodia |
| 敦煌石窟 | dūn huáng shí kū | Dunhuang caves in Gansu |
| 狡兔三窟 | jiǎo tù sān kū | lit. a crafty rabbit has three burrows |
| 窟窿眼 | kū long yǎn | small hole |
窟 appears in 16 compound words: 19 as the first character, 81 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 窟 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
Dunhuang caves in Gansu; refers to Mogao caves 莫高石窟[Mo4 gao1 shi2 ku1]
a crafty person has more than one hideout; a sly individual has more than one plan to fall back on
Dunhuang caves in Gansu; refers to Mogao caves 莫高石窟[Mo4 gao1 shi2 ku1]
a crafty person has more than one hideout; a sly individual has more than one plan to fall back on
Showing 4 of 5 idioms containing 窟.
Example Sentences
这个石窟有上千年的历史,里面有很多精美的佛像。
Zhè gè shíkū yǒu shàngqiān nián de lìshǐ, lǐmiàn yǒu hěn duō jīngměi de fóxiàng.
This grotto has a history of over a thousand years and contains many exquisite Buddha statues.
警界限街扫黄捣破淫窟 65岁男涉管理卖淫场所被捕
jǐng jiè xiàn jiē sǎo huáng dǎo pò 淫 kū 6 5 suì nán shè guǎn lǐ mài 淫 chǎng suǒ bèi bǔ
Police Raid Street in Jingjie to Crack Down on Prostitution, Busting a Brothel; 65-Year-Old Man Arrested on Suspicion of Operating a Prostitution Establishment
新疆吐峪沟石窟引游客参观
xīn jiāng tǔ 峪 gōu shí kū yǐn yóu kè cān guàn
The Tuyugou Grottoes in Xinjiang Attract Visitors
...车行火警1死1伤!屋主救身障儿、母命丧火窟 疑玩柴火酿祸
. . . chē háng huǒ jǐng 1 sǐ 1 shāng ! wū zhǔ jiù shēn zhàng ér , mǔ mìng sāng huǒ kū yí wán chái huǒ niàng huò
...Car Dealership Fire Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured! Homeowner Saves Disabled Child, but Mother Dies in the Blaze; Fire Suspected to Have Been Caused by Playing with Firewood
...花湖旁深夜恶火!老翁惊险逃生 女儿命丧火窟成焦尸
. . . huā hú páng shēn yè è huǒ ! lǎo wēng jīng xiǎn táo shēng nǚ ér mìng sāng huǒ kū chéng jiāo shī
... Late at night by the flower lake! The old man escaped in a thrilling way, and his daughter died in the fire pit and became a charred corpse
宜兰冬山民宅暗夜大火 屋主女儿疑命丧火窟成焦尸
yí lán dōng shān mín zhái àn yè dà huǒ wū zhǔ nǚ ér yí mìng sāng huǒ kū chéng jiāo shī
Yilan Dongshan house fire in the dark night, the owner's daughter was suspected of dying, and the cave became a charred corpse
汤姆住在贫民窟里。
Tāngmǔ zhù zài pínmínkū lǐ.
Tom lives in a slum.
墨西哥有很多贫民窟。
Mòxīgē yǒu hěn duō pínmínkū.
There are many slums in Mexico.
Character Family
穴 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cave radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 窟 (kū) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 窟 and 掘?
How many strokes does 窟 have?
What is the radical of 窟?
What are the components of 窟?
What are common words containing 窟?
What characters sound the same as 窟 (kū)?
Is 窟 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 窟 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.