How to Write 苷 (gān) — Meaning “Glycoside”

Picture a sweet grass: 甘 (gān) means 'sweet', and the grass radical 艹 reminds you that it comes from plants. So 苷 is literally 'sweet plant compound' – a glycoside.

Write the top radical 艹 first as three strokes: horizontal, then two verticals. Below it, write 甘 in five strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal, horizontal. A common mistake is making the middle of 甘 too wide – keep it narrow under the grass.

苷 has the grass radical 艹 on top and 甘 below, while 兹 has two dots (丷) on top and a bottom part meaning 'silk'. 艻 also has grass radical but has 力 (strength) below. Unlike 苷, these are not used in chemistry terms.

苷 is a technical term used in biochemistry and traditional Chinese medicine to mean 'glycoside'. You will see it in words like 糖苷 (táng gān, glycoside) and 苷元 (gān yuán, aglycone) in scientific contexts, but not in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 苷 include: 苷 (gān) — Glycoside; 糖苷 (táng gān) — Glycoside; 苷元 (gān yuán) — Aglycone.