How to Write 蕉 (jiāo) — Meaning “banana / plantain”

Imagine a banana plant (艹) with a bunch of bananas that have turned brown because they are too ripe (焦 means "burnt"). The two dots on top of 焦 look like two small bananas hanging, and the four dots below (灬) remind you of the heat that makes them spotty.

Write the grass radical (艹) first as three strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical — make it wide enough to cover the lower part. The lower part 焦 must be centered; common mistakes include making the left side (隹) too tall or forgetting the four fire dots (灬) at the bottom. Keep the overall shape balanced.

蕉 (jiāo) means banana/plantain, while 葄 (zuò) is a rare word for a type of mat grass, and 蒗 (làng) appears mainly in place names like Làng River. Visually, 蕉 has 焦 underneath, 葄 has 乍, and 蒗 has 浪 — each has a completely different lower component and meaning.

蕉 appears in common words like 香蕉 (xiāng jiāo, banana) and 芭蕉 (bā jiāo, plantain). In southern China, banana leaves (蕉叶) are used to wrap food like zongzi or steamed dishes. The fruit is very popular, and the character is often seen on fruit stands and menus.

Common words containing 蕉 include: 香蕉 (xiāng jiāo) — Banana; 芭蕉 (bā jiāo) — Japanese banana / Plantain; 蕉叶 (jiāo yè) — banana leaf.