How to Write 茧 (jiǎn) — Meaning “cocoon”

Imagine a silkworm (虫) weaving its cocoon inside a patch of grass (艹). The grass on top looks like the cocoon's outer covering, and the insect below is the maker. This visual helps you recall that 茧 means cocoon with grass on top and insect below.

The top radical 艹 is written with three strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, but note the first horizontal is short and the last horizontal is long. The lower part 虫 has a vertical stroke that should align with the center of the top grass radical. Common mistakes include making the top too wide or the bottom insect too tall—keep the proportions balanced.

茧 means cocoon or callus, while 兹 means "this" or "now" and is rarely used alone, and 芈 is an ancient surname or a sheep-related character. Visually, 茧 has grass (艹) over insect (虫), 兹 has two strands of silk (糸) under grass, and 芈 has a sheep with a tail (羊 with extra strokes). The key difference is the bottom part: 虫 vs 糸 vs 羊.

茧 is used in words like 蚕茧 (silkworm cocoon) for silk production, and 手茧 or 茧子 for calluses on hands from hard work. Culturally, 蚕茧 symbolizes transformation and diligence because silkworms spin cocoons to become moths, and calluses represent hard labor. It is not in HSK, but appears in agricultural or literary contexts.

Common words containing 茧 include: 蚕茧 (cán jiǎn) — silkworm cocoon; 手茧 (shǒu jiǎn) — Callus on the hand.; 茧子 (jiǎn zi) — callus.