How to Write 蔡 (cài) — Meaning “Cai (a surname)”

Picture a grass patch (艹) on top of a sacrificial altar (祭). Imagine Mr. Cai offering grass on an altar to honor his ancestors. This visual helps remember the top grass and the complex bottom part with 祭's two left strokes and 示.

The top 艹 is wide and covers the lower part; write it with horizontal stroke then two vertical strokes. The bottom 祭 is tall: write 月 (meat) first on the left, then 示 (altar) on the right. A common mistake is making the bottom part too narrow—keep it balanced under the grass radical.

蔡 (cài) has the grass radical plus 祭, and is a common surname. 莿 (cì) also has grass radical but with 刺 (thorn), meaning a thorny plant. 菐 (pú) has grass radical over 業 (industry) and means dense undergrowth or a surname; it is very rare. The key difference is the bottom component: 祭 vs. 刺 vs. 業.

蔡 is one of the most common Chinese surnames, ranking among the top 50. You will see it in names like 蔡先生 (Mr. Cai) or 蔡老师 (Teacher Cai). Culturally, the surname is associated with the ancient State of Cai during the Zhou Dynasty, and many famous people, such as Taiwan's former President 蔡英文, bear this name.

Common words containing 蔡 include: 蔡先生 (cài xiān shēng) — Mr. Cai; 蔡老师 (cài lǎo shī) — Teacher Cai; 姓蔡 (xìng cài) — Surname Cai.