窑 (yáo): kiln
窑 (yáo) is a Chinese character meaning “kiln.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 穴 (structural) and 缶 (structural). It ranks #2275 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 窑 an oven 穴 where pots 缶 are fired; 缶 also provides the pronunciation. 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
- kiln
Etymology & Origin
ideographicAn oven 穴 where pots 缶 are fired; 缶 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱穴缶 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 窑 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 土窑 | tǔ yáo | earthen kiln |
| 窑子 | yáo zi | (old) low-grade brothel |
| 窑洞 | yáo dòng | yaodong (a kind of cave dwelling in the Loess Plateau in northwest China) |
| 窑姐儿 | yáo jiě r | erhua variant of 窯姐|窑姐 |
| 窑场 | yáo cháng | (Yuan dynasty) porcelain kilns (under imperial administration) |
| 破瓦寒窑 | pò wǎ hán yáo | lit. broken tiles, cold hearth |
| 苦窑 | kǔ yáo | (slang) prison |
| 窑姐 | yáo jiě | (dialect) prostitute |
| 砖窑场 | zhuān yáo chǎng | brick kiln |
| 黑砖窑 | hēi zhuān yáo | lit. black brick kiln |
| 蹲苦窑 | dūn kǔ yáo | (slang) to be behind bars |
| 砖窑 | zhuān yáo | brick kiln |
窑 appears in 12 compound words: 42 as the first character, 50 as the last, and 8 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 窑 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
这个窑厂专门生产瓷砖，产品销往全国各地。
Zhè gè yáo chǎng zhuānmén shēngchǎn cízhuān, chǎnpǐn xiāo wǎng quánguó gèdì.
This kiln factory specializes in producing ceramic tiles; products are sold throughout the country.
南宋官窑为何选址于此？
nán sòng guān yáo wéi hé xuǎn zhǐ yú cǐ ?
Why was this site chosen for the Southern Song Imperial Kilns?
窑火千年，因守护而不灭；时代新程，因文化而璀璨。
yáo huǒ qiān nián , yīn shǒu hù ér bù miè ; shí dài xīn chéng , yīn wén huà ér cuǐ càn .
The kiln’s fire has burned for a thousand years, kept alive by those who safeguard it; the new era shines brightly because of its culture.
农家乐提供住宿服务，说是窑洞其实装修得与印象中的窑洞没有任何关系了，只是形似罢了。
nóng jiā lè tí gōng zhù sù fú wù , shuō shì yáo dòng qí shí zhuāng xiū dé yǔ yìn xiàng zhōng de yáo dòng méi yǒu rèn hé guān xì le , zhī shì xíng sì bà le .
The farmstay offers lodging; although it’s called a “cave dwelling,” the interior has nothing to do with the traditional cave dwellings one might imagine—it merely resembles one in shape.
一件瓷器，从采石、练泥到拉坯、修坯，从绘画、施釉到装窑、烧成，要经过多道工序。
yī jiàn cí qì , cóng cǎi shí , liàn ní dào lā 坯 , xiū 坯 , cóng huì huà , shī yòu dào zhuāng yáo , shāo chéng , yāo jīng guò duō dào gōng xù .
The creation of a piece of porcelain involves many steps, from quarrying the clay and preparing the clay to throwing and shaping the piece, and from painting and glazing to loading the kiln and firing.
Character Family
穴 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cave radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 窑 (yáo) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 窑 (yáo)?
Is 窑 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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