窑 (yáo) - Kiln — a furnace or oven for baking, & also refers to a cave dwelling or coal

窑Tone 2

yáo ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

窑 · yáo

Kiln — a furnace or oven for baking, firing, or drying pottery, bricks, or other ceramic materials;

also refers to a cave dwelling or coal pit.

Kiln — a furnace or oven for baking,also refers to a cave dwelling or coal

Usage highlights

KilnPorcelain kilnBrick kilnCave dwellingCoal pitKiln worker

Synonyms

  • 炉— furnace, stove
  • 灶— cooking stove, hearth

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The potter fired the vase in the kiln (窑).
  • They visited an ancient porcelain kiln site (瓷窑遗址).
  • Some people in northern China live in cave dwellings (窑洞).
  • The coal mine was called a coal pit (煤窑).

Collocations

  • Kiln(窑)
  • Porcelain kiln(瓷窑)
  • Brick kiln(砖窑)
  • Cave dwelling(窑洞)
  • Coal pit(煤窑)
  • Kiln worker(窑工)

Idioms

  • Break out of the kiln(破窑而出)
  • Kiln transformation is unpredictable(窑变莫测)
  • Blue from the indigo kiln(青出于窑)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Kilns have been central to Chinese ceramic production for millennia, with famous kiln sites like Jingdezhen.
  • Cave dwellings (窑洞) are traditional homes carved into loess cliffs in northern China, particularly in Shaanxi.
  • The character combines 'cave' (穴) and 'jar' (缶), representing both ceramic firing and cave dwellings.

FAQ