How to Write 蔟 (cù) — Meaning “Cluster / Silkworm frame”

Picture a family (族) of silkworms all sitting on a frame made of grass (艹). This image of a "family cluster" helps you recall that 蔟 means a cluster or a silkworm frame.

Write the top grass radical 艹 wide enough to cover the bottom 族. The bottom part has 11 strokes; be careful to include the dot in 矢 and the diagonal stroke in 方. A common mistake is making the bottom too narrow or missing the dot.

莿 (cì) means thorn and contains 刺 (thorn), while 蔟 is about clustering. 菐 (pú) is a plant name with a different bottom component. Visually, 蔟 has the distinctive 族 part, whereas 莿 has 刺 and 菐 has a simpler bottom.

蔟 appears mainly in sericulture (silkworm farming); 蚕蔟 refers to the frame where silkworms spin cocoons. It is also used in botanical terms like 蔟生 (to grow in clusters). This character is not common in everyday speech.

Common words containing 蔟 include: 蚕蔟 (cán cù) — cocooning frame; silkworm mount; 蔟生 (cù shēng) — To grow in clusters; 蔟聚 (cù jù) — To cluster together.