洞

2 readings · tap one to hear it

cave; hole; zero (unambiguous spoken form when spelling out numbers); CL:個|个[ge4]

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

氵 meaning “water” + 同 sound ( tóng )

Components 氵同

cave · Heisig RSH #186

monks + 水 water

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
空洞无物	kōng dòng wú wù	empty cave, nothing there (idiom); devoid of substance; nothing new to show
洞头区	Dòng tóu Qū	Dongtou, a district of Wenzhou City 溫州市\|温州市[Wen1 zhou1 Shi4], Zhejiang
洞口县	Dòng kǒu Xiàn	Dongkou, a county in Shaoyang City 邵陽市\|邵阳市[Shao4 yang2 Shi4], Hunan
脑洞大开	nǎo dòng dà kāi	imaginative; to have one's mind buzzing with ideas
别有洞天	bié yǒu dòng tiān	place of charm and beauty; scenery of exceptional charm; completely different world
人字洞	Rén zì dòng	Renzidong palaeolithic archaeological site at Fanchang 繁昌[Fan2 chang1], Anhui
小洞不补大洞吃苦	xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng chī kǔ	A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves n…
一击入洞	yī jī rù dòng	hole in one (golf)
无底洞	wú dǐ dòng	bottomless pit
开脑洞	kāi nǎo dòng	to blow people's minds with highly imaginative, bizarre ideas
洞子	dòng zi	cave; pit; (coll.) greenhouse
山洞	shān dòng	cavern; cave
洞头	Dòng tóu	see 洞頭區\|洞头区[Dong4 tou2 Qu1]
地洞	dì dòng	tunnel; cave; burrow; dugout
洞天	dòng tiān	paradise; heavenly or beautiful place; fairyland
防空洞	fáng kōng dòng	air raid shelter; bomb shelter; (fig.) place that protects bad people; hideout
白洞	bái dòng	white hole (cosmology)
电洞	diàn dòng	electron hole (physics)
洞口	Dòng kǒu	see 洞口縣\|洞口县[Dong4 kou3 Xian4]
洞口	dòng kǒu	cave mouth; tunnel entrance

Characters sharing the sound component 同 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
同 sound part	tóng	same, similar; together with, alike
铜	tóng	copper, bronze
筒	tǒng	tube, pipe, cylinder; a thick piece of bamboo
酮	tóng	ketone
桐	tóng	Chinese wood-oil tree, Vernicia fordii
侗	tóng	big; ignorant, rude, rustic
峒	dòng	a mountain in Gansu province
硐	tóng	cave; chamber; pit
恫	dòng	fearful, pained, sorrowful
胴	dòng	the large intestine; the body
茼	tóng	chrysanthemum; Glebionis coronarium
垌	dòng	farm, field; used in place names