How to Write 糨 (jiàng) — Meaning “Starch / Paste / Thick liquid”

Imagine a bowl of rice (米) that is so strong (强) it turns into a thick, sticky paste you can use as glue. This visual connects both parts to the meaning of "starch paste."

Pay attention to the left radical 米: its last two strokes are a dot and a short horizontal, not a full cross. On the right, 强 has a balanced structure with the mouth (口) centered above the bottom strokes. Keep the 18 strokes neat, as the character is tall and narrow.

While 糕 (gāo, cake) and 糖 (táng, sugar) also use the 米 radical, 糨 specifically refers to a thick, sticky paste or starch, not a food item. In writing, 糨 includes 强 on the right, whereas 糕 has 羔 and 糖 has 唐.

糨 is most common in 糨糊 (jiàng hù), meaning paste or glue, often used for paper crafts or bookbinding. In daily speech, "脑子糨糊了" (brain turned to paste) is a playful idiom meaning someone is confused or muddled. The character appears rarely except in these set phrases.

Common words containing 糨 include: 糨糊 (jiàng hù) — Paste / Glue / Muddled; 糨子 (jiàng zi) — Starch paste; 煮糨了 (zhǔ jiàng le) — boiled to a pulp; overcooked to a paste.