灶

zào · zou3

stove; cooking hearth

Where it comes from

灶 is the simplified form of the older 竈. The historical character had a more complex structure and is traditionally analysed as a meaning-and-sound compound connected with a cooking place. Modern 灶 replaces that structure with a very direct pairing: 火, “fire,” beside 土, “earth.” It is memorable as fire at an earthen hearth, but that neat picture explains the simplified shape, not the full ancient history. This component-based sketch therefore shows a flame beside a firm earthen base.

A piece of culture

The warm centre of the kitchen
Before modern cookers, many households cooked over a built hearth made from earth, clay or brick. Designs and fuels differed greatly by region, climate and period, but the stove remained the place where raw ingredients became a shared meal. 灶 still appears in everyday 炉灶 / 爐灶, “stove,” and in older traditions concerning the household hearth.

Use it in a real word

炉灶 / 爐灶

lúzào · lou4 zou3

stove; cooking range

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