涂
塗tú
#1,733 most
frequent character
to apply (paint etc), to smear
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
涂 combines 氵 water with 余 yú, which gives the sound. It first named a river in Sichuan. The sense 'to smear on' was borrowed by sound, then grew to blot out and to mud or street.
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