瓜
guā · HSK 4
melon
🍉 瓜 is a pictograph of a melon hanging on its vine
The character 瓜 originated as a drawing of a gourd or melon dangling between two vines. It covers the whole melon family: watermelon (西瓜), cucumber (黄瓜), pumpkin (南瓜).
瓜 — pictograph of a melon on its vine
瓜 is a pictograph showing a melon or gourd hanging from a curling vine, with the outer strokes representing the trailing tendrils and the inner shape the fruit itself. It has kept its original meaning of 'melon/gourd' since ancient times and also serves as a radical for related fruits like 瓢 (gourd ladle) and 瓣 (segment).