澆
sprinkle, thing, shallow, frivolous
Readings
On'yomi
- ギョウ
Kun'yomi
- そそ.ぐ
Meaning
澆 centers on liquid applied lightly or in a scattered way: sprinkling water. The extended senses of shallow and frivolous come from the idea of something thin or insubstantial, like a light sprinkle rather than a deep pour.
Most common words using 澆
- 澆季ぎょうき
frivolous age; degenerate period in history; decadent age
Study
Etymology
澆 combines 氵 (water) with 堯, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to sprinkling or pouring water lightly.
Meaning mnemonic
Water 氵 beside 堯: imagine a gardener lightly sprinkling water from a can over a high mound (堯 suggests something tall or elevated), making the ground just shallowly wet.
Reading mnemonic
For ギョウ, picture a gardener sprinkling water while humming a made-up tune: 'gyo~ gyo~' as the water falls. The sound 'gyo' cues ギョウ.