How to Write 檬 (méng) — Meaning “lemon (used in 檸檬)”

Imagine a lemon tree made of wood (木) that is covered (蒙) with bright yellow lemons. The right side 蒙 sounds like 'meng,' which can help you recall the pinyin méng. This visual link makes it easier to remember that 檬 means lemon.

Pay attention to the right side 蒙: it has a top grass radical (艹), a roof (冖), a horizontal line (一), and then the complex 豕 (pig) component. The left 木 should be narrow, and the 豕 part has a curved hook — do not forget the small dot inside. A common mistake is making the right side too wide.

檬 (méng) is used only in the word 柠檬 (lemon), while 槭 (qì) means maple tree and 槲 (hú) means oak tree. Visually, the right sides are different: 檬 has 蒙, 槭 has 戚, and 槲 has 斛. Their meanings are completely distinct, so always check the right component.

檬 appears almost exclusively in the word 柠檬 (níng méng, lemon), which is very common in daily life. You will see it on menus for drinks like 柠檬水 (lemonade) and in cooking ingredients like 柠檬片 (lemon slices). Although not in HSK, it is useful for ordering food or shopping at a market.

Common words containing 檬 include: 柠檬 (níng méng) — lemon; 柠檬水 (níng méng shuǐ) — lemonade or lemon water; 柠檬片 (níng méng piàn) — lemon slice.