How to Write 栝 (guā) — Meaning “Chinese juniper / Snakegourd”

Imagine a tree (木) growing a long, green fruit that looks like a tongue (舌) — that is the snakegourd. This visual of a tongue-shaped gourd hanging from a tree helps connect the parts to the meaning. Alternatively, think of a juniper tree whose branches twist like a tongue.

Write the left radical 木 first (4 strokes), then the right part 舌 (6 strokes) — total 10 strokes. Pay attention to the order inside 舌: first the top 千 (horizontal, vertical, horizontal) then the bottom 口 (vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal). A common mistake is to make the 木 too wide, but it should be narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

栝, 杪, and 杭 all share the 木 radical, but their right parts differ. 栝 has 舌 and means Chinese juniper or snakegourd, 杪 has 少 and means the tip of a branch, and 杭 has 亢 and is used in place names like 杭州 (Hangzhou). Visually, 栝's right side is 舌 (tongue), 杪's is 少 (few), and 杭's is 亢 (high).

栝 is not in the common HSK vocabulary, but it appears in plant names like 栝楼 (snakegourd, used in traditional Chinese medicine) and 栝柏 (Chinese juniper, a tree). You might encounter it in herbal medicine texts or botanical descriptions. Its usage is limited to specific plants and is rarely used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 栝 include: 栝楼 (guā lóu) — Snakegourd; 栝子 (guā zi) — Snakegourd seeds; 栝柏 (guā bǎi) — Chinese juniper.