挖

wā
#1,857 most
frequent character
dig, excavate, scoop
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

挖 joins 扌, a hand, with 穵 wā, which means empty and also supplies the sound. The hand and empty parts together suggest the first meaning, to dig out. It later grew to mean to excavate.

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

我在花园里挖土。
wǒzài huāyuán lǐ wātǔ 。
I am digging in the garden.
他们正在挖一个大坑。
tāmen zhèngzài wā yígè dà kēng 。
They are excavating a large pit.
小孩用勺子挖冰淇淋。
xiǎohái yòng sháozǐ wā bīngqílín 。
The child is scooping ice cream with a spoon.

Words with similar meanings

掘jué
to excavate
More formal and often used in technical or scientific contexts.
刨páo
to shovel
Used primarily for digging with a shovel; can imply a more forceful action.

Words Starting With 挖

挖掘wā jué
to excavate; to dig; to unearth

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.