How to Write 枸 (gǒu/jǔ) — Meaning “wolfberry; citron”

Imagine a wolfberry plant growing next to a wooden fence. The left side 木 is the wood, and the right side 句 looks like a hook you use to pick the berries, while the sound "gǒu" reminds you of "goji" berries.

Write the 木 radical narrow, with its final stroke changed to a dot instead of a full downward slash. The right side 句 starts with a short horizontal stroke, then a hook (勹) around a small 口. A common mistake is making the 木 too wide or forgetting the dot.

枸 has the right component 句 and refers to plants like goji berries or citron. 杆 has 干 on the right and means a long pole or rod. 杈 has 叉 on the right and means a fork or forked branch. The visual difference is the right part of each character.

枸 appears most often in the word 枸杞 (gǒu qǐ), meaning goji berries, which are commonly used in teas and soups. It also appears in 枸橼 (jǔ yuán), a citron fruit. You will see this character on food packages and in health product descriptions, but not in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 枸 include: 枸杞 (gǒu qǐ) — goji berry; wolfberry; 枸橼 (jǔ yuán) — citron; 枸酱 (gǒu jiàng) — Goujiang (a historical condiment made from betel pepper)..