How to Write 酵 (jiào) — Meaning “yeast or ferment”

Think of the left radical 酉 as a wine bottle and the right part 孝 as a child wearing a hat — imagine a child adding yeast to wine to make it ferment. This funny image helps link the components to the meaning of "ferment" or "yeast."

Pay special attention to the left side 酉: the inner part has a horizontal stroke and an opening, not a complete box. On the right, 孝 has a long horizontal stroke under the "土" part, and the bottom 子 must be written with a curved hook, not a straight line.

While 酵 (jiào) means yeast or fermentation, 酡 (tuó) means "flushed red from drinking" and 酢 (cù) means vinegar or old spelling for 醋. Visually, 酡 has the right side 它 (tuó) and 酢 has 乍 (zhà), while 酵 has 孝 (xiào) — each has a completely different right component.

酵 appears in everyday words like 酵母 (jiào mǔ) meaning yeast for baking, and 发酵 (fā jiào) meaning fermentation — used in making bread, beer, or soy sauce. It is also found in 酵素 (jiào sù) meaning enzyme, a term common in health and nutrition contexts.

Common words containing 酵 include: 酵母 (jiào mǔ) — yeast; 发酵 (fā jiào) — to ferment; fermentation; 酵素 (jiào sù) — enzyme.