鍋 / 锅
guō
The English phrase "pot" can be translated into Chinese as 鍋 / 锅 (guō). Wiktionary also lists 壺 / 壶 (hú).
Meaning: vessel for cooking or storing food etc. (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 鍋 / 锅 | guō |
| 壺 / 壶 | hú |
The term for a pot depends on its function. Use 鍋 / 锅 (guō) to refer to wide, shallow or deep vessels used for cooking food, such as a wok or a cooking pot. For example, the term for the popular meal 'hot pot' is 火鍋 / 火锅, which uses the word for a cooking pot.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between vessels used for food and those used for liquids. Use 鍋 / 锅 (guō) for cooking vessels like pans or woks. Use 壺 / 壶 (hú) for vessels typically used for liquids, such as a teapot, a water kettle or a jar.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwanese Mandarin, the term guōzī (鍋子) is commonly used to refer to a pot.
How do you pronounce it?
guō
Did you know?
- In Chinese, you can say you are 'carrying a black pot', or 背黑鍋 / 背黑锅 (bēi hēiguō), which actually means you are being blamed for something you did not do.
- The word 壺 / 壶 is actually a contraction of 葫蘆, the word for a 'calabash' or 'bottle gourd'.
- In ancient China, the shape and size of a 鍋 / 锅 often indicated the social status of the household, with larger bronze vessels being symbols of wealth and power.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pot” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 壺, 鍋, CC BY-SA 4.0.
