洞 dòng — cave; hole
小动物躲进了一个山洞里。Xiǎo dòng wù duǒ jìn le yí ge shān dòng lǐ.The little animal hid in a cave.
Common words: 漏洞 (lòu dòng)、洞穴 (dòng xué)、空洞 (kōng dòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "hole"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hole", including 洞 (dòng), 孔 (kǒng), 穴 (xué). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "hole" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 洞 (dòng), 孔 (kǒng), 穴 (xué) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dòng, kǒng, xué — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 洞 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 洞 dòngcave; holeUseful words: 漏洞, 洞穴
- 孔 kǒng(surname); holeUseful words: 人孔, 过孔
- 穴 xuéhole; caveUseful words: 洞穴, 穴位
Common words for these 3 "hole" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 洞 (dòng) — so "hole" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
漏洞lòu dòngleak; hole; gap; loophole洞穴dòng xuécave; cavern空洞kōng dòngcavity; empty; vacuous人孔rén kǒngmanhole过孔guò kǒng(electronics) via (a type of hole in a circuit board)孔道kǒng dàoopening providing access; the teaching of Confucius洞穴dòng xuécave; cavern穴位xué wèiacupuncture point; location of a grave地穴dì xuépit; burrow; crypt
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 3 ways to say "hole".
孔 kǒng — (surname); hole
这块木板上有一个小孔。Zhè kuài mù bǎn shàng yǒu yí ge xiǎo kǒng.There is a small hole in this board.
Common words: 人孔 (rén kǒng)、过孔 (guò kǒng)、孔道 (kǒng dào)
穴 xué — hole; cave
中医通过按摩穴位来缓解疼痛。Zhōng yī tōng guò àn mó xué wèi lái huǎn jiě téng tòng.Traditional Chinese medicine relieves pain by massaging acupoints.
Common words: 洞穴 (dòng xué)、穴位 (xué wèi)、地穴 (dì xué)
All 3 characters
Open 洞、孔、穴 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.