How to Write 榄 (lǎn) — Meaning “olive”

Picture a wooden (木) tree where you "lan" (like "land") an olive into a basket. The right part 览 looks like a person peeping (览 means to look) at olives on the tree. So you "look" for olives on a tree.

Pay attention to the left radical 木: the last stroke is a dot, not a full downward stroke. The right part 览 must be written with the top 䒑 (a variation of 艹) then 见; make sure the 见 component's left vertical stroke is straight and the hook is clear. Common mistake: writing the left radical with a full hook instead of a dot.

桫 (suō) refers to the cycad or fern palm, and 桲 (bó) is a type of fruit tree like pear or quince. In contrast, 榄 (lǎn) always means olive, especially in the word 橄榄. Visually, 桫 has 沙 on the right, 桲 has 孛, while 榄 has 览.

榄 appears mainly in the word 橄榄 (gǎn lǎn) meaning olive, and in compound words like 橄榄油 (olive oil) and 橄榄球 (American football, because the ball's shape resembles an olive). It is not commonly used alone, and there is no special cultural festival tied to olives in China, though olives are eaten as a snack or used in cooking.

Common words containing 榄 include: 橄榄 (gǎn lǎn) — olive; 橄榄油 (gǎn lǎn yóu) — olive oil; 橄榄球 (gǎn lǎn qiú) — American football / Rugby.