How to Write 蕾 (lěi) — Meaning “flower bud”

Imagine a flower bud (艹) hiding under a thundercloud (雷), waiting to bloom when the storm passes. The thunder symbol 雷 sounds like "lay" and you can think of a bud "laying" dormant. This visual connects the plant radical and the thunder component to the meaning of a flower bud.

Write the top radical 艹 first with three strokes (horizontal, vertical, vertical), then the lower part 雷 starting with the horizontal stroke for 雨. A common mistake is making the 艹 too wide or the 雷 too narrow; the overall shape should be balanced with the top slightly narrower than the bottom. Pay attention to the dots inside 雷 — there are exactly four dots arranged in two pairs.

蕾 (lěi) specifically means "flower bud" and is used in words like 花蕾 and 芭蕾. In contrast, 蒟 (jǔ) appears only in 蒟蒻 (jǔ ruò), which is the Chinese name for konjac (a plant used to make jelly). 蒻 (ruò) is rare and refers to a type of rush or tender plant, not a bud. Visually, 蕾 has 雷 below, while 蒟 and 蒻 have different lower components (句 and 弱 respectively).

蕾 appears most commonly in 花蕾 (huā lěi, flower bud) for botanical contexts, and in 芭蕾 (bā lěi) for ballet, which is a transliteration of the French word. In Chinese culture, 蕾 can symbolize potential and beauty yet to unfold, often used in poetry or names to represent a young girl's innocence. It is not a common HSK character but is recognized due to its use in ballet terminology.

Common words containing 蕾 include: 花蕾 (huā lěi) — Flower bud; 芭蕾 (bā lěi) — Ballet; 蓓蕾 (bèi lěi) — flower bud.