pit, hole
On'yomi (音読み)
- コウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
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About this kanji
The kanji 「坑」 primarily means "pit" or "hole," and is generally used in noun compounds rather than as a standalone word. You might encounter it in terms like 「坑道」 (こうどう), meaning "tunnel," which refers to a passage dug underground, and 「廃坑」 (はいこう), which means "closure of a mine," indicating a mine that has been abandoned. Another example is 「坑口」 (こうこう), meaning "pithead,” the top opening of a mine. Since this kanji is specific to mining vocabulary, it’s predominantly used in contexts related to underground work, making it less common in everyday conversation.
Example sentences
鉱山の坑道を探検する。
We explore the mines' tunnels.
Meanings across languages
- English
- pit, hole
- Tiếng Việt
- hố
- 日本語
- 坑
- 한국어
- 구덩이
- 中文
- 坑
- id
- lubang
- th
- หลุม
- es
- pozo
- fr
- fosse
- de
- Grube
- pt
- buraco
Common compounds
- 坑道こうどうtunnel, (mining) gallery, level
- 坑内こうないwithin a pit or (mine) shaft
- 廃坑はいこうclosure of a mine, abandoned mine, disused mine
- 坑口こうこうpithead, minehead
- 入坑にゅうこうentrance into drift or pit
- 金坑きんこうgold mine
- 坑夫こうふminer
- 斜坑しゃこうinclined shaft
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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