How to Write 茄 (jiā/qié) — Meaning “Eggplant”

Think of the phrase 'add (加) some grass (艹) to make an eggplant.' You can imagine an eggplant being added to a garden, with the grass radical reminding you it's a plant. This connects the sound 'jiā' (add) to the character's meaning.

When writing 茄, first write the grass radical 艹 as two horizontal strokes followed by two vertical strokes, keeping it narrow. Then write 加 with the left part 力 (horizontal hook and vertical stroke) and the right part 口 (small square). Avoid making the grass radical too wide, as 加 should be about the same width.

茄 has the grass radical 艹 on top and 加 below, meaning eggplant. 兹 (cí/zī) has a different top part (丷 + 幺) and means 'this' or 'now,' not a plant. 艻 (lè) has 艹 above 力, but it is rarely used and refers to a type of grass, not a food. Focus on the bottom part: 加 vs 力 vs 幺.

茄 appears in common words like 茄子 (qié zi, eggplant), 番茄 (fān qié, tomato), and 雪茄 (xuě jiā, cigar). Tomato is called 'foreign eggplant' because it was introduced to China from abroad. In cooking, 茄子 is a staple ingredient in dishes like 鱼香茄子 (yu xiang qie zi, fish-fragrant eggplant).

Common words containing 茄 include: 茄子 (qié zi) — Eggplant; 番茄 (fān qié) — Tomato; 雪茄 (xuě jiā) — Cigar.