How to Write 栲 (kǎo) — Meaning “Mangrove; Evergreen chinquapin”

Picture a tree (木) that has to take a tough 'exam' (考) to survive in the salty swamp where mangroves grow. The exam stands for the 'kǎo' sound and reminds you that this is the tree name. That mental image ties the shape to both its meaning and pronunciation.

Write the left part 木 first (horizontal, vertical, left-falling stroke, then right-falling dot), then the right part 考. For 考, start with the top horizontal, then vertical, then the second horizontal, then the left-falling stroke, and finally the curved hook. A common mistake is making the bottom hook of 考 too straight or misplacing the dot in 木.

栲 (kǎo) is a specific tree name, while 杪 (miǎo) means 'treetop' or 'twig' and has 少 (small) on the right. 杭 (háng) refers to a boat or the city Hangzhou, with 亢 on the right. Visually, 杪 is more balanced with a smaller right component, 杭 has a taller right side, and 栲 has the distinctive 考 shape.

栲 is not common in daily speech but appears in specialized terms like 栲栳 (wicker basket), 栲胶 (tannin extract), and 栲绸 (gambiered Guangdong silk). The silk, 栲绸, is a traditional handcrafted fabric from Guangdong known for its glossy, waterproof finish and is often used in high-end clothing.

Common words containing 栲 include: 栲栳 (kǎo lǎo) — Wicker basket; 栲胶 (kǎo jiāo) — Tannin extract; 栲绸 (kǎo chóu) — Gambiered Guangdong silk.