How to Write 桦 (huà) — Meaning “Birch”

Think of a "splendid tree" — the right part 华 means splendid or flowery. Picture a birch tree with beautiful white bark standing out in a forest, so 木 (tree) + 华 (splendid) equals 桦 (birch).

Write the left radical 木 first with its standard strokes, then the right part 华. The top of 华 is a left-falling stroke followed by a horizontal and vertical hook — do not mix it up with 化. Keep the left side narrow and the right side slightly wider for balance.

桦 always refers to birch trees and uses 华 as its phonetic part. 杪 means "treetop" and has 少 on the right; 杭 means "boat" or is used in "Hangzhou" and has 亢. They look similar but are unrelated in meaning and usage.

桦 appears in names of birch tree species like 白桦 (white birch), which is common in northern China. It is also found in place names such as 桦南县. The birch tree is admired for its white bark and appears in Chinese poetry and art.

Common words containing 桦 include: 桦树 (huà shù) — Birch tree; 白桦 (bái huà) — white birch; 桦木 (huà mù) — Birch wood.