The Kanji: 坑 (Kō / Ana)
The kanji 坑 (read as kō) carries the core meaning of "pit," "mine," or "hole in the ground." It is composed of the radical 土 (earth/soil) and 亢 (high), which originally depicted a raised mound, but the character's meaning evolved to represent the hollowed-out space beneath – a pit or mine shaft. This character is intrinsically linked to excavation and mining.
Common Words & Example Sentences
1. 炭坑 (tankō)
Meaning: Coal mine.
Example Sentence: その町はかつて炭坑で栄えた。
(Sono machi wa katsute tankō de sakaeta.)
"That town once prospered from its coal mines."
2. 坑道 (kōdō)
Meaning: Mine shaft; tunnel (in a mine).
Example Sentence: 坑道は深くて暗かった。
(Kōdō wa fukakute kurakatta.)
"The mine shaft was deep and dark."
3. 戦車坑 (senshakō)
Meaning: Anti-tank ditch.
Example Sentence: 海岸線に戦車坑が作られた。
(Kaigansen ni senshakō ga tsukurareta.)
"Anti-tank ditches were dug along the coastline."
4. 坑夫 (kōfu)
Meaning: Miner.
Example Sentence: 坑夫たちは危険な仕事をしている。
(Kōfu-tachi wa kiken na shigoto o shite iru.)
"Miners do dangerous work."
In summary, 坑 is a specialized kanji representing man-made holes and tunnels dug into the earth, primarily for mining resources like coal (炭坑). It describes the physical structure of the mine itself (坑道) and the workers within it (坑夫), and can extend to other excavated pits like anti-tank ditches (戦車坑).