How to Write 椐 (jū) — Meaning “A type of thorny tree”

Imagine a tree (木) where a person's home (居) is surrounded by thorny branches — the tree is so prickly you can only dwell (居) near it carefully. This visual links the tree radical to the sound and meaning of a thorny tree.

Write the left radical 木 first with a horizontal stroke, then vertical, then left-falling and right-falling strokes. The right part 居 has 8 strokes: start with the horizontal stroke at top, then the body with a narrow width — common mistakes include making the right side too wide or forgetting the small horizontal stroke inside.

椐 (thorny tree) differs from 柴 (chái, firewood) — 柴 is a tree radical with 此 (this) and means fuel wood, while 椐 is a specific tree. 栓 (shuān, bolt/plug) has a tree radical with 全 (complete) and means a stopper or latch, not a tree type visually. Their right-side components are distinct.

椐 is a rare character not in HSK, mostly found in classical texts or botanical contexts. It appears in words like 椐木 (thorny tree wood) and 椐杖 (walking stick made from this wood). Historically, 灵椐 referred to a funeral carriage or coffin, but this usage is now archaic.

Common words containing 椐 include: 椐木 (jū mù) — Thorny tree wood; 椐杖 (jū zhàng) — Thorny wood walking stick; 灵椐 (líng jū) — funeral carriage; coffin.