How to Write 蓖 (bì) — Meaning “castor plant”

Imagine a 'bee' (sounds like bì) flying over a field of grass (艹) to pollinate the castor plants. The bee helps you remember the sound, and the grass reminds you it's a plant.

Start by writing the grass radical 艹 (horizontal, left vertical, right vertical). Then write 畐: first the left vertical, then the top horizontal, the inner 口 (keep it narrow), and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the 口 too wide or writing the top part too large.

蓖 has 畐 under the grass, while 莿 has 刺 (thorn) under the grass and means 'thorn bush' (rare). 菀 has 宛 (wǎn) under grass and means 'luxuriant growth.' Visually, 蓖's bottom is a square-ish 畐, 莿 has a 刺 with a knife radical, and 菀 has 宛 with a curvy 巳.

蓖 is almost always used in the words 蓖麻 (bì má, castor oil plant), 蓖麻油 (bì má yóu, castor oil), and 蓖麻子 (bì má zi, castor bean). It is not common in everyday conversation but appears in agriculture, medicine, and industrial contexts where castor oil is discussed.

Common words containing 蓖 include: 蓖麻 (bì má) — castor oil plant; 蓖麻油 (bì má yóu) — castor oil; 蓖麻子 (bì má zi) — castor bean.