How to Write 稻 (dào) — Meaning “rice; paddy”

Picture a rice plant (禾) sinking into a paddy field that looks like a scooping hand (舀). Imagine the rice grains being scooped up as if from a bowl. This visual of rice being ladled from a paddy helps link the shape and meaning of 稻.

Pay attention to the right side 舀: the top is 爫 (claw) with a slight slant, not flat; the middle is 臼 (mortar shape) with two small horizontal strokes inside; and the bottom is 月 (meat) but written narrower. A common mistake is making the 臼 part too wide or forgetting the short strokes inside.

稻 means rice or paddy, 稔 (rěn) means a ripe grain harvest, and 稗 (bài) means barnyard grass or a weed that looks like rice. Visually, 稔 has 念 (niàn) on the right, while 稗 has 卑 (bēi); 稻 uses 舀. In usage, 稻 is common for rice plants, while 稔 appears in formal or literary contexts about harvests, and 稗 often means something worthless or weedy.

稻 appears frequently in terms like 水稻 (paddy rice), 稻米 (rice grain), and 稻草 (rice straw). Rice is a staple food in China, so 稻 carries cultural importance, especially in southern China where it is the main crop. Farmers often celebrate the rice harvest with festivals, and 稻 symbolizes abundance and livelihood.

Common words containing 稻 include: 水稻 (shuǐ dào) — Paddy rice; 稻米 (dào mǐ) — Rice (grain); 稻草 (dào cǎo) — Rice straw.