沟 gōu — ditch; gutter
雨水顺着水沟流走了。Yǔ shuǐ shùn zhe shuǐ gōu liú zǒu le.The rainwater flowed away along the ditch.
Common words: 沟通 (gōu tōng)、沟道 (gōu dào)、天沟 (tiān gōu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ditch"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ditch", including 沟 (gōu), 渠 (qú). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ditch" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 沟 (gōu), 渠 (qú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gōu, qú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 沟 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 沟 gōuditch; gutterUseful words: 沟通, 沟道
- 渠 qúbig; stream or canal; drain; ditchUseful words: 渠道, 明渠
Common words for these 2 "ditch" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 沟 (gōu) — so "ditch" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "ditch".
渠 qú — big; stream or canal; drain; ditch
农民挖了一条水渠，把河水引到田里。Nóng mín wā le yì tiáo shuǐ qú, bǎ hé shuǐ yǐn dào tián lǐ.The farmers dug a canal to channel river water into the fields.
Common words: 渠道 (qú dào)、明渠 (míng qú)、水渠 (shuǐ qú)
All 2 characters
Open 沟、渠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.