How to Write 萝 (luó) — Meaning “radish; trailing plants”

Imagine a radish wearing a net (罗) made of grass (艹) over its leaves. The net covers the radish, helping you connect the grass top with the pronunciation luó.

Make sure the grass radical 艹 is wide enough to cover the 罗 below. A common mistake is making the 艹 too narrow, which makes the character unbalanced. Also, in the lower part 罗, the vertical strokes should be straight.

萝 has the grass radical 艹 and the lower part 罗 (net), while 兹 has no grass and is made of 䒑 and 幺, meaning 'now'. 苧 also has the grass radical but its lower part is 宁 (níng), and it refers to a different plant (ramie).

萝 appears most often in 萝卜 (radish), a common vegetable in Chinese cooking, and 菠萝 (pineapple), a popular fruit. It is also used in 绿萝 (pothos), a common houseplant known for its easy care. A cultural note: 萝 alone is rarely used except in these compound words.

Common words containing 萝 include: 萝卜 (luó bo) — radish; 菠萝 (bō luó) — Pineapple; 绿萝 (lǜ luó) — pothos / devil's ivy.