How to Write 羹 (gēng) — Meaning “thick soup or custard”

Imagine a beautiful (美) lamb (羔) soup that is so thick you can eat it with a spoon. The character looks like a bowl with a lamb head on top and the word 'beautiful' at the bottom, reminding you it's a delicious thick soup or custard.

Write the top part 羔 first: the 羊 with a vertical stroke, then four dots (灬) arranged evenly. The bottom part 美 has another 羊 on top of 大, but note the vertical stroke of the 羊 in 美 goes through. Keep the overall shape balanced, with the top slightly narrower than the bottom.

羴 is three 羊 stacked, meaning a strong sheep smell, while 羸 has a lower part like 赢 without 贝 and means weak or thin. 羹 uses 羔 and 美, and always refers to thick soup or custard, not smells or physical condition.

羹 appears in food names like 鸡蛋羹 (steamed egg custard) and 羹汤 (thick soup). It is common in traditional and Cantonese cooking, where it describes a thicker, more substantial soup than 汤. This character is advanced vocabulary not in the HSK list.

Common words containing 羹 include: 鸡蛋羹 (jī dàn gēng) — Steamed egg custard; 羹汤 (gēng tāng) — thick soup; 调羹 (tiáo gēng) — Spoon; soup spoon.