洞

dòng
HSK 5
#1,013 most
frequent character
cave, hole
noun
Measure words:个 gè

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

洞 pairs 氵 water with 同 tóng for sound. It first meant a rapid flowing current. From water cutting through, it grew to penetrate, then a hole or cave, and finally zero.

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Example Sentences

这个洞很深。
zhègè dòng hěn shēn 。
This cave is very deep.
岩石上有一个洞。
yánshí shàngyǒu yígè dòng 。
There is a hole in the rock.
在游戏中，零分的玩家被称为洞。
zài yóuxì zhōng ， língfēn de wánjiā bèi chēngwéi dòng 。
In the game, players with zero points are called 'zero'.

Same Characters, Different Readings

洞tóng
used in 洪洞[Hong2tong2], a county in Shanxi

Words with similar meanings

穴xué
cavern
穴 (xué) is often used to refer to a larger or more spacious underground cavity than 洞.
孔kǒng
hole
孔 (kǒng) is a more general term for any opening or hollow in a surface, not necessarily an underground cavity.

Words Starting With 洞

洞穴dòng xué
cave; cavern

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Public Lists with 洞

HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Numbers & Counting
Numerals, counting words, and measure words frequently used with numbers.