锅 guō — pot; pan; boiler
妈妈在锅里炒了一盘青菜。Mā ma zài guō lǐ chǎo le yì pán qīng cài.Mom stir-fried a plate of greens in the wok.
Common words: 火锅 (huǒ guō)、电饭锅 (diàn fàn guō)、一锅粥 (yī guō zhōu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pot"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pot", including 锅 (guō), 罐 (guàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pot" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 锅 (guō), 罐 (guàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guō, guàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 锅 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 锅 guōpot; pan; boilerUseful words: 火锅, 电饭锅
- 罐 guàncan; jar; potUseful words: 罐头, 易拉罐
Common words for these 2 "pot" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 锅 (guō) — so "pot" 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 "pot".
罐 guàn — can; jar; pot
妈妈把白糖装进了一个玻璃罐里。Mā ma bǎ bái táng zhuāng jìn le yí ge bō li guàn lǐ.Mom put the sugar into a glass jar.
Common words: 罐头 (guàn tou)、易拉罐 (yì lā guàn)、罐子 (guàn zi)
All 2 characters
Open 锅、罐 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.