壅
plug up, shut up
Strokes16
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- ふさ.ぐ
Meaning
壅 centers on blocking or sealing an opening: plugging up a hole, stopping a flow, or shutting something in.
Most common words using 壅
- 懸壅垂けんようすい
uvula
Study
Etymology
壅 combines 土 (earth) with 雍, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of blocking or enclosing. The character suggests using earth to dam or plug something.
Meaning mnemonic
Earth 土 piled under a blocking shape 雍: imagine using dirt to plug up a hole and shut it tight.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, picture a yo-yo stuck in a pipe, plugging it up: yo -> ヨウ, and the earth piles around it to seal the blockage.