窖
cellar
Strokes12
Readings
On'yomi
- コウ
- キョウ
Kun'yomi
- あなぐら
Meaning
窖 centers on an underground storage space: a cellar or pit used for keeping things cool and preserved.
Study
Etymology
窖 combines 穴 (hole, cave) with 告, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to an underground storage pit or cellar.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 穴 is a hole or cave, and the bottom 告 looks like a container with a lid. Picture a hole in the ground with a covered storage area: a cellar.
Reading mnemonic
For コウ, imagine a cold cellar where you store kohlrabi: kohl -> コウ, and the vegetable stays fresh underground.