How to Write 艻 (lè) — Meaning “fragrant grass; wild radish”

Imagine a fragrant grass that grows so powerfully that its scent is overwhelming — the top 艹 is the grass, and the bottom 力 is its powerful root. The force of the smell helps you link 艹 (grass) and 力 (power) to the character.

The character has 6 strokes: first write the top radical 艹 as three strokes (horizontal, left vertical, right vertical), then write 力 below as two strokes (horizontal hook, then left falling). A common mistake is to make the bottom 力 too wide or to misalign the vertical strokes of 艹 with the hook of 力.

The key visual difference is the bottom part: 艻 has 力 (power), 艺 has 乙 (a bent line), and 艽 has 九 (nine). In meaning, 艺 is used for art or skill, 艽 appears in herbal names like 秦艽, while 艻 refers specifically to fragrant grass or wild radish.

艻 is a very rare character, not in the HSK vocabulary, so it appears mainly in classical texts, herbal medicine manuals, or specialized plant names. For example, 艻草 (fragrant grass) and 香艻 are used in traditional Chinese medicine, but you will almost never need it in daily conversation or writing.

Common words containing 艻 include: 艻草 (lè cǎo) — fragrant grass; 艻头 (lè tóu) — wild radish root; 香艻 (xiāng lè) — a type of fragrant herb.