How to Write 藁 (gǎo) — Meaning “Straw / Draft”

Imagine a tall grass (艹) that has become dry and withered (槁, which contains 木 for tree and 高 for tall) under the hot sun. This picture of dry, tall grass helps you recall both the 'straw' meaning and the pronunciation gǎo.

The top grass radical 艹 should be written with the two horizontal strokes and a vertical downstroke, leaving the bottom of the radical open. The lower part 槁 has a complex top (高) and a 木 below; make sure the horizontal strokes are balanced and the 木 doesn't extend too far to the right.

藁 means straw or withered grass, while 蔬 (shū) means vegetables and 蕃 (fán or fān) means luxuriant growth or foreign. Visually, 藁 has 艹 + 槁, 蔬 has 艹 + 疏, and 蕃 has 艹 + 番; the lower parts are completely different. In usage, 藁 is uncommon and appears in herbal medicine or literary contexts, unlike the more common 蔬 for vegetables.

藁 is rarely used alone; it appears mostly in compound words like 藁本 (gǎo běn), a medicinal herb, and 枯藁 (kū gǎo) meaning withered or dried up. You might also see it in historical or literary texts describing straw mats (藁席) or the concept of a draft manuscript (though this meaning is less common today).

Common words containing 藁 include: 藁本 (gǎo běn) — Ligusticum (Chinese lovage); 枯藁 (kū gǎo) — withered; dried up; 藁席 (gǎo xí) — Straw mat.