How to Write 蓼 (liǎo) — Meaning “Smartweed / Polygonum”

Picture the grass radical 艹 as a cluster of leaves, and the lower part 翏 as a bird's feathers (since 翏 originally related to flying). Imagine a smartweed plant with feathery leaves that birds like to land on. This visual helps link the shape to the plant's meaning.

Start by writing the grass radical 艹 (two horizontal strokes, then a vertical stroke). Then write the 翏 part: first the top 羽 (write left and right sides separately), then the bottom stroke that crosses through. A common mistake is making the lower part of 翏 too wide; keep it compact to maintain balance.

蓼 contains 翏 (liào) and refers to smartweed plants. 莿 has 艹 plus 刺 (thorns, cì) and means a thorny plant or to sting. 菐 has 艹 plus 菐 (pú, meaning to pile or serve) and is rare, often used in old texts. Visually, look for the feather-like 翏 in 蓼, the sharp 刂 in 莿, and the larger 大-like shape in 菐.

Common words containing 蓼 include: 水蓼 (shuǐ liǎo) — Water pepper; 蓼蓝 (liǎo lán) — Indigo plant; 蓼草 (liǎo cǎo) — Smartweed grass.