筐 (kuāng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

筐

kuāng[kuang1]Tone 1

basket

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · basket

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (竹) is slightly narrower and vertically compressed, while the right phonetic component (匡) provides broad structural weight and balance.

1. Meaning

basket

hamperframe

NounNeutral#containers#household objects#materials

Sample Usage

她手里提着一个竹筐。
tā shǒu lǐ tí zhe yī gè zhú kuāng.
She is carrying a bamboo basket in her hand.
把脏衣服扔进筐里。
bǎ zāng yī fu rēng jìn kuāng lǐ.
Throw the dirty clothes into the hamper.

2. Sound

/[kʰu̯äŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

筐

kuāngkuang1

¯(55)

=kuāng

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

kuang

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Velar

Sounds like: k sound as in 'kite'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of tongue raises to touch the soft palate, then releases a strong burst of air.

Final Rhyme

uang

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'twang' without the t

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wahng'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at the top of your vocal range, like a sustained opera note.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with falling tones (like kuàng) or missing the rounded u-glide after the initial k.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your voice on a high, steady pitch as if singing a high musical note, making a flat horizontal hand gesture.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (竹) is slightly narrower and vertically compressed, while the right phonetic component (匡) provides broad structural weight and balance.

4. Components

Radical ⺮ · Bamboo Radical (bamboo or items made of bamboo)

Semantic Clue (形旁): ⺮ (Indicates that the basket is traditionally made of bamboo material.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 匡 (original sound: kuāng / kuàng)

The bamboo radical (⺮) on the left shows the material, while the enclosure/frame component (匡) on the right provides the sound and hints at the rigid rectangular or round container shape.

⺮ bamboo classifier / semantic clue
匡 frame / phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

7· Phonetic Root: 匡 (kuāng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the bamboo classifier (⺮) representing woven bamboo strips and 匡 (kuāng) which originally meant a rectangular frame or container.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring specifically to woven bamboo containers, it broadened over time to mean any basket or hamper regardless of exact material.

Bamboo has been utilized in China for millennia to weave lightweight, sturdy agricultural and household baskets.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine walking through a bamboo (⺮) forest where you find a sturdy wooden frame (匡) magically transforming into a woven basket waiting to be filled.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

匡

kuāngsurname Kuang; (literary) to rectifyPhonetic Core (声旁)

眶

kuàngeye socket+ 目 (eye)

框

kuàngframe, casing, framework, template, to circle, to restrict+ 木 (tree)

哐

kuāng(onom.) crash; bang; clang+ 口 (mouth)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

匡(kuāng)

匡 is just the frame/rectify radical without any bamboo (⺮).

眶(kuàng)

眶 features the eye component (目), relating to eye sockets, whereas 筐 features bamboo (⺮).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

妈妈把洗好的衣服放进[___]里。

Clue: kuāng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the bamboo radical (⺮) with the eye radical (目) when writing, turning 筐 (basket) into 眶 (eye socket).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 筐 mean and what is its radical?

Production: How do you write the character for 'basket' (kuāng) using the bamboo radical and phonetic frame?

筐kuāngbasket

Speed:

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