<p>In my opinion, this is a &quot;<strong>口</strong>&quot;:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/MQo5c.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/MQo5c.png" alt="口" /></a></p>
<p>This is a &quot;<strong>洞</strong>&quot;:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/W5q4m.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/W5q4m.png" alt="洞" /></a></p>
<p>口/口子 means &quot;(人体或物体的表层)破损的地方[the place where it is damaged(on the surface of a human body or an object)]&quot;, 洞 means &quot;物体中间的穿通的或凹入较深的部分(The penetrating or deep recessed part of the object)&quot;. You can say &quot;我的手破了一道口子&quot;, but absolutely cannot say &quot;我的手破了一个洞&quot;! Or I can't imagine how panic the person who hears it will be.</p>
<p>Some other examples:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>日子久了，水滴竟在石头上滴出一个<strong>洞</strong>来。(水滴石穿)</p>
</li>
<li><p>他的手被小刀划了一道<strong>口</strong>子。</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T12:44:37.340Z
The first picture is a 缺口 --> 缺/ 口;  the second one is 洞口- -> 洞/ 口
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T14:06:43.327Z
Uh... We often call the entry of a hole in the mountains a "洞口". "口" doesn't mean "split" here.
T-Pioneer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T11:51:21.013Z
2020-08-19T12:00:01.437Z
2020-08-19T12:00:01.437Z
T-Pioneer
<p>&quot;洞&quot; generally means larger and deeper holes;
&quot;口&quot; generally refers to small and shallow holes.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T11:26:03.943Z
2020-08-19T11:26:03.943Z
gailulun
<p>From what I see, there are examples where both 洞 and 口 can be used to describe holes in things. For example from samples in Pleco:</p>
<p>衣服撕了个口 (A hole was torn in the jacket)</p>
<p>衬衫破了一个洞 (Have a hole in one's shirt)</p>
<p>This being the case, what are the differences in usage between these two characters? Do these relate to different types of holes? Is one character more common than the other one for this use case?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T01:25:54.513Z
both 洞 and 口 can be short for  "洞口" (hole; opening). 洞 is the more comment one
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T21:17:03.040Z
Not going to add more answer after a nice picture is offered. In general, it's better to not think of characters as having stable, distinct meanings by themselves. Words typically do. Characters are better considered as word stems in English. When used as individual words to mean "hole", T-Pioneer's pic is spot on.
Argyll
<word-choice><difference><word>
Difference between 洞 and 口 for holes in things
# Difference between 洞 and 口 for holes in things

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-19)

From what I see, there are examples where both 洞 and 口 can be used to describe holes in things. For example from samples in Pleco:

衣服撕了个口 (A hole was torn in the jacket)

衬衫破了一个洞 (Have a hole in one's shirt)

This being the case, what are the differences in usage between these two characters? Do these relate to different types of holes? Is one character more common than the other one for this use case?

**Tags:** word-choice, difference, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: both 洞 and 口 can be short for  "洞口" (hole; opening). 洞 is the more comment one  
> **username_2**: Not going to add more answer after a nice picture is offered. In general, it's better to not think of characters as having stable, distinct meanings by themselves. Words typically do. Characters are better considered as word stems in English. When used as individual words to mean "hole", username_3's pic is spot on.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-08-19. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

In my opinion, this is a "**口**":

[![口](https://i.sstatic.net/MQo5c.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/MQo5c.png)

This is a "**洞**":

[![洞](https://i.sstatic.net/W5q4m.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/W5q4m.png)

口/口子 means "(人体或物体的表层)破损的地方[the place where it is damaged(on the surface of a human body or an object)]", 洞 means "物体中间的穿通的或凹入较深的部分(The penetrating or deep recessed part of the object)". You can say "我的手破了一道口子", but absolutely cannot say "我的手破了一个洞"! Or I can't imagine how panic the person who hears it will be.

Some other examples:

1. 日子久了，水滴竟在石头上滴出一个**洞**来。(水滴石穿)
2. 他的手被小刀划了一道**口**子。

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The first picture is a 缺口 --> 缺/ 口;  the second one is 洞口- -> 洞/ 口  
> **username_3**: Uh... We often call the entry of a hole in the mountains a "洞口". "口" doesn't mean "split" here.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-08-19. Score: 1

"洞" generally means larger and deeper holes;
"口" generally refers to small and shallow holes.


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