泷 (lóng) · rapids; fast-flowing water

Meanings

1 rapids; fast-flowing water
2 waterfall (in place names and classical texts)
3 torrential (of rain)

Characters

泷

lóng

rapids; fast-flowing water

Examples

HSK 5

泷多用于古地名或人名中。

Lóng duō yòngyú gǔ dìmíng huò rénmíng zhōng.

The character lóng is mostly used in old place names and personal names.

HSK 7-9

泷水奔流而下，声势浩大。

Lóng shuǐ bēnliú ér xià, shēngshì hàodà.

The rapids surged downward with tremendous force.

Tips

usage

泷 is rare, appearing mainly for rushing rapids and torrential rain in classical and literary texts. A separate reading Shuāng is a specific place name, the Shuang river in Hunan and Guangdong (the modern 武水). Its traditional form pairs water with 龙 (dragon).

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form of 水)

Three-drops water radical on the left, side form of 水. It anchors 泷 in the river-and-rapids family with 江, 河, 瀑, marking water that flows fast and loud.

phonetic

龙 lóng

dragon

Right 龙 supplies the sound lóng exactly. A faint semantic echo too: a 泷 is a churning rapid, the kind of water traditional imagery linked with dragons coiling and surfacing.