谷

gǔ
#1,093 most
frequent character
valley

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

谷 shows water leaving a spring and passing through a mountain gap. That gives the first meaning, where a spring joins a river. It grew to deep cave, valley, and gorge. The meaning grain was borrowed only for its sound.

Drawn as: water leaving spring; mountain pass

谷 as a component in other characters

meaning4 characters
欲豁谿郤
sound5 characters
欲俗裕浴鹆
picture1 character
峪

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Same Characters, Different Readings

谷Gu3
surname Gu
谷gǔ
grain, corn

Homophones

古gǔ
ancient, old
鼓gǔ
drum, beat, rouse, bulging
股gǔ
thigh, portion, share, strand
谷gǔ
grain, corn
骨gǔ
bone

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