How to Write 刍 (chú) — Meaning “fodder”

Picture a cow chewing cud: the top part looks like a cow's mouth wrapping around grass, while the bottom is a knife cutting the feed. This image ties to the word 反刍 (rumination) and the meaning of fodder.

The stroke order is: left-falling, horizontal hook, horizontal fold, horizontal, then a long vertical fold hook. A common mistake is to write the bottom as a separate 刀, but the last stroke is one continuous hook that forms the entire lower shape.

刍 has a wrapping top and a large hook at the bottom, while 刃 (rèn) is a knife shape with a dot inside. 㓞 is a rare character; 刍 is more common and wider, with a distinct hook stroke instead of a dot.

刍 appears in formal expressions like 刍议 (my humble opinion) used in polite self-reference, and in 反刍 (rumination) referring to cows chewing cud or deep thought. It is also used in 刍豆 for animal feed, reflecting its classical agricultural origin.

Common words containing 刍 include: 刍议 (chú yì) — my humble opinion; 反刍 (fǎn chú) — Rumination; to chew the cud; 刍豆 (chú dòu) — fodder and beans.