How to Write 茛 (gèn) — Meaning “buttercup”

Imagine a buttercup flower (艹) growing from a tough, gnarled root shaped like the character 艮. The root looks like a person bending over, which reminds you that the plant's name starts with "g" (gèn). This picture helps you connect the grass top to the strong root bottom.

First write the grass radical 艹 with two vertical strokes, then write the bottom part 艮 in order: vertical stroke, horizontal fold, two horizontals, vertical, lift, then left-falling and right-falling strokes. A common mistake is making the bottom part too wide or confusing it with 良 (liáng), so keep the 艮 compact directly under the grass.

茛 has the bottom 艮, which looks like a backward "L" with a small hook, while 兹 has a bottom 玄 with two small curved strokes that cross. 芈 has a bottom resembling 牛 (cow) with a vertical line through a horizontal line. Their meanings are different: 茛 is a plant, 兹 means "this," and 芈 is a surname.

茛 is rare and not in the HSK list, but it appears in botanical names like 茛苕 (acanthus, a decorative plant) and 茛菪 (henbane, a medicinal herb). It is also part of 茛绸, a type of silk fabric that has been treated to have a special sheen. Learners may see it in specialized texts about plants or traditional crafts.

Common words containing 茛 include: 茛苕 (gèn sháo) — acanthus; 茛菪 (gèn dàng) — henbane; 茛绸 (gèn chóu) — gambiered gauze.