Chinese symbol for “whitewash”
垩
è
Traditional: 堊
to whitewash; to plaster
The closest CC-CEDICT match for whitewash is 垩 (è), defined as: to whitewash; to plaster.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “whitewash”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 粉刷 | fěn shuā | to paint; to whitewash |
| 粉饰 (粉飾) | fěn shì | to paint; to whitewash |
| 文过饰非 (文過飾非) | wén guò shì fēi | (idiom) to cover up one's faults; to whitewash |
| 洗白 | xǐ bái | to make sth clean and white; (fig.) to whitewash |
| 圬 | wū | to plaster; whitewash |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 垩.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 白垩 (白堊) | bái è | chalk |
See also: Japanese symbol for “whitewash”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.