How to Write 苣 (jù/qǔ) — Meaning “lettuce / endive”

Imagine a giant (巨) head of lettuce (艹)—the lettuce is so huge it covers the ground. The top grass radical reminds you it’s a plant, and the bottom ‘ju’ sounds like ‘huge’ to help recall the pinyin jù.

Write the top radical 艹 first: two horizontal strokes then a vertical stroke. Then write 巨: start with a horizontal stroke, then draw the inner 'mouth' shape (口) with a short horizontal on top and a vertical through it. A common mistake is confusing 巨 with 臣—remember 巨 has only two horizontal strokes in the middle.

苣 has 艹 on top and 巨 below, meaning lettuce. 兹 (zī) has two 幺 on top and 艹 below, meaning 'now' or a type of grass. 艻 (lè) has 艹 on top and 力 below, referring to a different plant. Visually, 苣’s bottom part is wide and square, while 兹 and 艻 have distinct lower components.

苣 rarely appears alone; it is mainly used in the compound 莴苣 (wō jù, lettuce), a common vegetable in Chinese markets and dishes. You might also see 苣荬菜 (qǔ mǎi cài, field sowthistle) for a wild edible plant. Culturally, lettuce is often eaten raw in salads or lightly cooked.

Common words containing 苣 include: 莴苣 (wō jù) — lettuce; 苣荬菜 (qǔ mǎi cài) — field sowthistle; 生苣 (shēng jù) — Raw lettuce.