How to Write 栎 (lì) — Meaning “oak”

Imagine an oak tree (木) that makes music (乐) when the wind rustles through its leaves. The word "music" helps you remember the right side, while the tree radical reminds you it is a type of tree. This visual link between a musical oak tree can make the character easier to recall.

When writing 栎, first write the left radical 木 with strokes: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, dot (right-falling). Then write the right part 乐, which starts with a left-falling stroke, then horizontal, vertical, horizontal, and finally right-falling. A common mistake is making the left side too wide; keep 木 narrow and the right side slightly larger for balanced proportions.

栎 means "oak" and has the right component 乐, while 杆 (gān) means "pole" or "stalk" and uses 干 (dry/stem) on the right. 杈 (chà) means "fork" of a tree and uses 叉 (fork) on the right. Visually, the right parts are all different: 乐, 干, and 叉, so focus on these to distinguish them.

栎 appears mainly in botanical or nature contexts, such as in words for oak tree (栎树), oak wood (栎木), and oak forest (栎林). It is not a common character in everyday conversation, but it is used in literature and descriptions of forests or woodworking. Oak wood is culturally valued for making furniture and wine barrels in some regions.

Common words containing 栎 include: 栎树 (lì shù) — oak tree; 栎木 (lì mù) — oak wood; 栎林 (lì lín) — oak forest.