How to Write 椆 (chóu) — Meaning “Evergreen oak”

Picture a tall evergreen oak tree (木) surrounded by a cycle or 'circumference' (周) of smaller trees. You can also think of the word '周' meaning 'around' — the oak tree stands for a long time, round after round. This visual of a tree with a circular shape helps link the parts to the meaning.

Write the left side 木 first: horizontal, vertical, left-slanting stroke, then right dot. Then write the right side 周: start with the outer vertical stroke on the left, then top horizontal, inner '土' (three strokes), and finally close the bottom horizontal and right vertical. A common mistake is making the 木 radical too wide or forgetting the dot inside 周, so keep 木 narrow and ensure the inner '土' is fully enclosed by the outer frame.

椆 (chóu) is an evergreen oak tree, with the right side 周 (zhōu) giving pronunciation. 柴 (chái) means firewood or brushwood; it has 木 on top and 此 (cǐ) below, and is pronounced chái. 栓 (shuān) means a bolt or stopper, with 木 on left and 全 (quán) on right; it is pronounced shuān. Visually, 椆's right side is the wider 周, while 柴 has a different bottom component and 栓 has the simpler 全.

椆 is a rare character not included in the HSK vocabulary. It is mainly used in scientific or botanical contexts to refer to certain species of evergreen oak trees, often in forestry or woodworking. Culturally, the evergreen oak is valued for its hard, durable wood, and the character may appear in regional names for specific trees or in classical texts about Chinese flora.

Common words containing 椆 include: 椆木 (chóu mù) — Evergreen oak wood; 椆树 (chóu shù) — Evergreen oak tree; 椆子 (chóu zi) — Evergreen oak tree.