刨 [páo]

• Scene：

  用锄头刨坑 / digging a hole with a hoe

• Examples：

  刨坑 [páokēng]，刨土 [páotǔ]，刨根问底 [páogēnwèndǐ]

• Description：

  刨 means to dig with a hoe or pickaxe to a shallow level. The hoe or pickaxe is usually flourished from front toward the user. In the spoken language, 刨 can also mean to exclude, e.g. 刨除.

挖 [wā]

• Scene：

  用铲子挖坑 / digging a hole with a shovel

• Examples：

  挖掘 [wājué]，挖墙脚 [wāqiángjiǎo]，挖空心思 [wākōngxīnsī]

• Description：

  挖 means to dig something out from inside something else with a shovel, knife, spoon or hand. It can also indicate to extract something hidden. In 挖井/挖隧道, it means to excavate on a large scale.

铲 [chǎn]

• Scene：

  用铲子铲草 / skimming grass with a shovel

• Examples：

  铲煤 [chǎnméi]，铲土 [chǎn tǔ]，铲除 [chǎnchú]，铲迹销声 [chǎnjìxiāoshēng]

• Description：

  铲 means ro shovel. The tool of action 铲 is shovel, the same with 挖. But the aim of 铲 is not digging but eliminate things(usually dirt) on surface or gather things in the shovel.

Related video notes: 刨、挖、铲

• 刨

• 挖

• 铲