How to Write 筀 (guì) — Meaning “Gui bamboo”

Picture bamboo (竹) growing in the shape of a jade tablet (圭) because 圭 looks like two stacked pieces of jade. This helps you remember that 筀 is a special bamboo called Gui bamboo.

Write the radical 竹 first as two mirrored "个" shapes. Then write 圭 below, which is two 土 characters stacked; make sure the vertical stroke goes straight through both 土. A common mistake is to misplace the vertical line or forget that 圭 has six strokes total.

筀 uses 圭 (gui) and means Gui bamboo. 笄 uses 开 (kai) and means a hairpin, while 笆 uses 巴 (ba) and means a bamboo fence. Visually, 圭 has two stacked 土, 开 has two horizontal lines with a vertical through them, and 巴 has a snake-like shape.

筀 is a rare character found mostly in botanical or classical texts about bamboo. It appears in words like 筀竹 (Gui bamboo) and 筀笛 (a flute made from Gui bamboo), but it is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 筀 include: 筀竹 (guì zhú) — Gui bamboo; 筀笋 (guì sǔn) — Gui bamboo shoots; 筀笛 (guì dí) — Gui bamboo flute.