How to Write 橘 (jú) — Meaning “tangerine; mandarin orange”

Imagine a tree (木 on the left) with a tangerine hanging from a branch. The right part 矞 looks like the fruit with two little leaves on top. This picture helps you recall that 橘 means tangerine.

Write the left radical 木 first, making it narrow. Then add the right side 矞: start with the top '矛' (spear-like strokes), then the middle '冖' (cover), and finally '口' at the bottom. A common mistake is making the right side too tall; keep the whole character balanced.

橘 means 'tangerine' and has 矞 on the right. 榍 (xiè) is a rare tree name with 屑 on the right. 榕 (róng) means 'banyan tree' and has 容 on the right. So the right side is the main visual clue, and only 橘 is used for the common fruit.

橘 appears in everyday words like 橘子 (jú zi, tangerine) and 橘汁 (jú zhī, tangerine juice). It is especially popular during Chinese New Year because 橘 sounds like 吉 (jí, good luck), so people give and eat tangerines for prosperity.

Common words containing 橘 include: 橘子 (jú zi) — tangerine; mandarin orange; 橘汁 (jú zhī) — tangerine juice; 橘皮 (jú pí) — tangerine peel.