Chinese word

水垢

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuǐ gòu

Meaning

  • nounlimescale

Example

水龙头上有水垢，影响出水。shuǐ lóng tóu shàng yǒu shuǐ gòu yíng xiǎng chū shuǐ

The faucet has limescale on it, which affects the water flow.

Illustration for 水垢 (limescale)

More examples

用醋可以去除水垢。yòng cù ké yǐ qù chú shuǐ gòu

Vinegar can remove limescale.

Core concept

A pale, stubborn coating that water leaves behind on taps, kettles, and other surfaces.

Common phrases

  • 去除水垢qù chú shuǐ gòu

    remove limescale

  • 清除水垢qīng chú shuǐ gòu

    clean off limescale

  • 水垢堆积shuǐ gòu duī jī

    limescale accumulates

Similar words

钙垢gài gòu: A hardened, whitish lump of calcium and other minerals deposited from water.
污垢wū gòu: Stubborn dirt or grime covering a surface and resisting cleaning.

Definition in Chinese

由水分蒸发或加热后，水中溶解的矿物质在器具或表面沉积并硬化形成的白色或黄白色污渍，触感常较粗糙，单靠清水难以彻底去除。yóu shuǐ fèn zhēng fā huò jiā rè hòu shuǐ zhōng róng jiě de kuàng wù zhì zài qì jù huò biǎo miàn chén jī bìng yìng huà xíng chéng de bái sè huò huáng bái sè wū zì chù gǎn cháng jiào cū cāo dān kào qīng shuǐ nán yǐ chè dǐ qù chú

Word origin

The compound 水 (shuǐ, "water") + 垢 (gòu, "dirt") presents this deposit as water-related dirt, a direct description of how it appears after water evaporates.

Usage tips

  • This noun refers to the buildup itself, not to hard water, which is the water condition that commonly causes the buildup; keeping those two ideas separate makes household conversations clearer.

Word lists with this word