How to Write 藿 (huò) — Meaning “agastache / patchouli”

Imagine a field of fragrant herbs under a heavy rain: the grass radical 艹 on top and the "rain" part (雨) inside 霍 below. The rain falling on the grass helps you recall that 藿 refers to patchouli or agastache, plants that thrive in moist environments.

With 19 strokes, the character is tall and narrow. Write the top radical 艹 first (horizontal stroke, then two vertical strokes), then the lower part 霍: start with 雨 (rain) as the top component of 霍, but note that 雨 here is compressed and does not have the full extended hooks. Common mistake: making the 雨 part too wide, throwing off the balance.

藿 and 薰 both have the grass radical and refer to aromatic plants, but 藿 specifically means agastache or patchouli (often used in traditional medicine), while 薰 (xūn) means "to smoke" or "to fumigate" and also refers to a fragrant plant like lavender. Visually, 藿 includes 霍 underneath, while 薰 has 熏 (smoke) as its phonetic component.

藿 appears mostly in traditional Chinese medicine terms, such as 藿香正气水 (Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid), a common remedy for digestive issues and summer heat. It is rarely used alone; the word 藿香 is the everyday term for the herb patchouli or agastache, and you might see 豆藿 for bean leaves in agricultural contexts.

Common words containing 藿 include: 藿香 (huò xiāng) — agastache / patchouli; 藿香正气水 (huò xiāng zhèng qì shuǐ) — Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid (a Chinese herbal remedy); 豆藿 (dòu huò) — bean leaves.