How to Write 粗 (cū) — Meaning “Thick; coarse; rough; crude”

Imagine rice (米) that is "粗" is not polished, so it looks thick and rough like brown rice. To remember the right side, think of a coarse "clump" (sound like 且) of rice stuck together. This image helps you associate the character with something thick and unrefined.

Start with the left radical 米: write the horizontal strokes from left to right, then the vertical stroke, then left-falling and right-falling strokes. The right part 且 has a short horizontal at top, then a long horizontal at bottom; keep the inner strokes evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the 米 radical too wide — it should be narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

粗 means coarse or rough, while 籼 (xiān) refers to a type of long-grained rice (indica rice) and is rarely used outside agriculture. 籽 (zǐ) means seeds or kernels, often used in words like 菜籽 (cài zǐ, vegetable seeds) — it has 米 on top plus 子 for sound. In writing, 粗 always has 米 on the left and 且 on the right, unlike the other two.

粗 commonly appears in daily words like 粗心 (careless, literally "coarse heart") and 粗糙 (rough texture). Culturally, 粗粮 (coarse grains) refers to whole grains like brown rice and millet, which are considered healthier in Chinese dietary tradition. The character can also describe crude behavior or language, like 粗话 (vulgar words).

Common words containing 粗 include: 粗心 (cū xīn) — careless; 粗糙 (cū cāo) — rough; coarse; crude; 粗粮 (cū liáng) — coarse grains; whole grains.