How to Write 蘩 (fán) — Meaning “white mugwort”

Picture a lush field of white mugwort (艹) that is so thick it looks like a fan (繁 sounds like "fan") opening up. The top strokes of 艹 resemble two leaves, and the complex lower part reminds you of many crowded leaves.

First write the grass radical 艹 with two horizontal strokes, then a short vertical. The lower part 繁 has many strokes: begin with 每 on the left and 攵 on the right, keeping the whole character balanced and not too tall.

Unlike 蘩, which is a specific plant, 薶 (mái) has 里 below the grass radical and means "to bury." The character 䕭 is rare and may be a variant, but 蘩 is uniquely identified by its 繁 component.

蘩 is not common in daily language but appears in classical texts like the "Book of Songs" poem "采蘩" about gathering mugwort for rituals. It may also be used in botanical names or as a poetic reference in literature.

Common words containing 蘩 include: 采蘩 (cǎi fán) — to gather white mugwort; 蘩芜 (fán wú) — lush growth of weeds; 蘩藻 (fán zǎo) — aquatic plants; pondweed.