How to Write 梣 (cén) — Meaning “ash tree”

Imagine an ash tree growing on a small hill (岑). The left side 木 is the tree, and the right side 岑 looks like a hill with a peak (山) and a base (今). This mental picture helps connect the shape to the meaning of 'ash tree.'

Write the left radical 木 first with a straight vertical stroke, then the right part 岑: start with the 山 on top (three strokes: vertical, left curve, right curve), then the 今 below (two strokes: triangle-like top then a straight bottom). A common mistake is making the 木 too wide—keep it narrow so the right side fits proportionally.

枯 (kū, withered) has the right side 古, which suggests old or dry, fitting its meaning of a dead tree. 枰 (píng, chessboard) has 平 on the right, meaning flat, linking to a flat wooden board. For 梣, the right side 岑 sounds like cén and is unique to the ash tree.

梣 is a specialized character used mainly in botanical contexts for the ash tree, such as in 梣树 (ash tree), 梣木 (ash wood), and 梣皮 (ash bark). In traditional Chinese medicine, ash bark (梣皮) is sometimes used for its healing properties, but the character is rare in daily life and not part of the HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 梣 include: 梣树 (cén shù) — ash tree; 梣木 (cén mù) — ash wood; 梣皮 (cén pí) — ash bark.