How to Write 堇 (jǐn) — Meaning “violet (flower); yellowish clay”

Imagine a violet flower growing out of yellow clay: the top 廿 looks like two leaves, 口 is the flower's center, and 土 is the soil. You can also think: "Twenty (廿) mouths (口) in the dirt (土) — but that is too many, so just one violet plant."

Write the top 廿 first: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal (four strokes). Then the 口 box (three strokes), and finally 土 at the bottom (three strokes). A common mistake is making the 廿 part too wide or forgetting the vertical stroke inside it.

堇 has 口 inside the top part, while 型 has 开 (open) on top and 土 below, and 垌 has 土 on the left and 同 on the right. Visually, 堇 is taller and more compact, with three stacked sections. 型 and 垌 have different stroke patterns and meanings.

堇 is uncommon in daily speech, but appears in botanical names like 堇菜 (violet plant) and color terms like 堇色 (violet color). It also occurs in personal names, such as 堇年, and occasionally in classical references where it refers to a medicinal herb.

Common words containing 堇 include: 堇色 (jǐn sè) — violet color; 堇菜 (jǐn cài) — violet (the plant); 堇年 (jǐn nián) — Jinnian (often a name).