How to Write 椒 (jiāo) — Meaning “Pepper / spice”

Imagine a tree (木) that grows spicy berries, and think of your uncle (叔) who loves cooking with pepper. The image of "uncle's tree" helps link the sound and meaning. You can also picture a chili pepper shaped like the letter 'J' for 'jiāo'.

Be careful with the left radical 木: write the vertical stroke first, then the two diagonal strokes, and keep it narrow. The right part 叔 has a complex order: start with the vertical on top, then the two horizontal lines, then the small 小 shape, and finally 又 at the bottom. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or misplacing the bottom 又.

椒 (pepper/spice) has 木 on the left and 叔 on the right, while 柴 (firewood) has 木 on top and 此 (cǐ) below. 栓 (bolt/latch) also has 木 on the left but uses 全 (quán) on the right. Visually, 椒's right side is much more complex than the simple 此 in 柴 or 全 in 栓.

椒 appears in common food words like 辣椒 (chili pepper), 胡椒 (black or white pepper), and 花椒 (Sichuan pepper). In Chinese cuisine, especially Sichuan food, 辣椒 adds heat and 花椒 creates a unique numbing sensation. These spices are essential for dishes like mapo tofu and hotpot.

Common words containing 椒 include: 辣椒 (là jiāo) — chili pepper.; 胡椒 (hú jiāo) — Pepper; 花椒 (huā jiāo) — Sichuan pepper.