Skip to main content

谷: valley | grain

By November 26, 2013January 28th, 2021Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning

 

谷 gǔ

noun | radical 150
: valley; gorge; ravine

穀[谷] gǔ

noun
: grain; corn; millet

Kun Reading

谷 | たに tani

noun
: valley

谷あい | たにあい taniai

noun
: valley
: cleavage

On Reading

こく koku

や ya

 Usage:

谷地 gu3di4: valley [やち yachi: marsh land; swamp]
谷歌 gu3ge1: Google
峽[峡]谷 xia2gu3: canyon; ravine
[きょうこく kyoukoku: glen; ravine; gorge; canyon]
幽谷 you1 gu3: deep valley; ravine [ゆうこく yuukoku]
山谷 shan1gu3: valley
曼谷 man4gu3: Bangkok (capital of Thailand) 
穀子 gu3zi: millet
穀物 gu3wu4: cereal; grain [こくもつ kokumotsu]
穀神 gu3shen2: harvest God [谷神 | やちかみ yachikami: place name]
包穀 bao1gu3: maize; corn
五穀 wu3 gu3: five crops, e.g. millet 粟[su4], soya bean 豆[dou4], sesame 麻[ma2], barley 麥|麦[mai4], rice 稻[dao4]: all crops; all grains; oats, peas, beans and barley
[ごこくgokoku: the 5 grains (wheat, rice, beans, millet, (awa and kibi)]

Japanese Expression
渋谷 しぶや Shibuya
a ward in Tokyo (where Omotesandou: avenue leading to the Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Dori: shopping street through Harajuku, and Yoyogi Park are located). The Shibuya crosswalk is the busiest in the world! The statue of Hachiko, the dog, is the most common meeting place.
穀潰し | ごくつぶし gokutsubushi: good-for-nothing; deadbeat; idler 
不気味の谷 | ぶきみのたに bukiminotani: uncanny valley (hypothesis about humanoid robots)
恐れ入谷の鬼子母神 | おそれいりやのきしもじん osoreiriya no kishimojin: sorry; beg pardon; much obliged

Chinese idiom
空谷足音 kong1 gu3 zu2 yin1
: sound of footsteps in an empty valley: a rare occurrence; That’s something you don’t often hear!
跌至谷底 die1 zhi4 gu3 di3
: to hit rock bottom
進退維谷 [进退维谷] jin4 tui4 wei2 gu3
: no room to advance or to retreat: without any way out of a dilemma; trapped; in an impossible situation

 Etymology:


会意 Associative Compound .
Water flowing 八 (ba1: 8) in
a valley 人 (ren2: man radical 9) 口 (kou3: mouth radical 30)

簡體 Simplified
穀 (gu3: corn; lucky)
谷. Created as unique simplification #79 (穀 » 谷) via homophonic substitution.


“Valley” radical #150

 Examples:


峡谷展现在我们的脚下。
xia2gu3 zhan3xian4 zai4 wo3men de jiao3xia4.
The (canyon) valley lay at our feet.

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary