How to Write 芏 (dù) — Meaning “Sedge”

Picture a patch of grass (艹) growing out of a mound of dirt (土) by a riverbank. That grassy clump is sedge, and the character 芏 looks just like grass sitting on soil. Think of "dirt grass" to link the sound dù to the image.

The top part 艹 should be written with two short horizontal strokes and one longer horizontal stroke, covering the widest part. The bottom part 土 must be centered under the grass radical, and the vertical stroke of 土 should align with the middle of the top component. Avoid making the top too narrow or the bottom too wide, as this will throw off the balance.

芏 (dù) has grass on top and earth (土) below, meaning sedge. 艺 (yì) also has the grass radical but has 乙 (yǐ) below, meaning art or skill—the bottom part looks like a bent hook. 艻 (lè) has the grass radical with 力 (lì, strength) below, referring to a type of grass called "cogongrass." The key difference is the bottom component: earth for 芏, a bent hook for 艺, and strength for 艻.

芏 is not a common character in everyday Chinese; it appears mainly in specialized terms for plants and traditional crafts. For example, 茳芏 (jiāng dù) refers to shichito matgrass used for making mats, and 芏席 (dù xí) means a sedge mat, a traditional woven item in some southern regions of China. You might encounter it in botanical or cultural contexts rather than daily conversation.

Common words containing 芏 include: 茳芏 (jiāng dù) — shichito matgrass; 芏草 (dù cǎo) — Sedge grass; 芏席 (dù xí) — Sedge mat.