How to Write 槿 (jǐn) — Meaning “Hibiscus”

Imagine a 'wooden' tree (木) growing next to a 'cliff' — the right side 堇 can be visualized as a cliff (like 堇 comes from 堇 'cliff' in ancient scripts). Picture a hibiscus tree blooming bravely by a cliff edge to link the sound jǐn and the meaning.

The left radical 木 must be written with a smaller width and a hook on the vertical stroke. On the right side, the upper part of 堇 has three horizontal lines that should be evenly spaced and the bottom line is longer — do not make the right side too wide or unbalanced.

槿 (jǐn) means 'hibiscus' and is used in plant names. In contrast, 椴 (duàn) refers to a type of linden tree (Tilia), and 椹 (zhēn) means 'mulberry fruit' or 'pestle.' Visually, 槿 has the right side 堇 (with many horizontal strokes), while 椴 has 段 (segment) and 椹 has 甚 (even/very).

槿 appears primarily in botanical terms like 木槿 (mù jǐn, hibiscus) and 槿花 (jǐn huā, hibiscus flower). Culturally, the hibiscus is admired for its daily blooming and fading, symbolizing fleeting beauty and resilience in Chinese poetry and gardens. It is also used in traditional hedges (槿篱 jǐn lí) around rural homes.

Common words containing 槿 include: 木槿 (mù jǐn) — hibiscus; 槿花 (jǐn huā) — Hibiscus flower; 槿篱 (jǐn lí) — Hibiscus hedge.