How to Write 槁 (gǎo) — Meaning “Withered”

Imagine a very tall tree (高) that has lost all its leaves and looks completely dry and withered. The left radical 木 reminds you it is a tree, and the tall shape of 高 helps you recall the character for withered.

Write the left radical 木 first (4 strokes: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling), then the right part 高 (10 strokes). A common mistake is making the left 木 too wide or the right 高 too narrow; keep the left side compact and the right side slightly taller. Also ensure the top of 高 has a dot before the horizontal stroke.

槁, 棉, and 棋 all share the 木 radical, but their right parts differ. 槁 has 高 (tall), meaning withered; 棉 has 帛 (silk/cloth), meaning cotton; 棋 has 其 (its), meaning chess. Visually, 槁's right side is taller with a mouth-like top (口), while 棉 has a white component (白) and 棋 has a horizontal base (其).

槁 is not common in everyday speech; it appears in literary or formal writing, often in the compound 枯槁 (kū gǎo) meaning withered plants or a haggard, emaciated appearance. A cultural note is the idiom 槁木死灰 (gǎo mù sǐ huī, dead wood and cold ashes), which describes a person in a state of extreme apathy or emotional numbness.

Common words containing 槁 include: 枯槁 (kū gǎo) — withered; haggard; emaciated; 槁木 (gǎo mù) — Withered wood; 槁死 (gǎo sǐ) — To wither and die.