How to Write 芪 (qí) — Meaning “Astragalus (medicinal root)”

Think of 芪 as "grass" (艹) over "family" (氏), picturing a family of herbal plants. Or associate 芪 with "key" (sounds like qí) — astragalus root is a key ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine recipes.

Write the top 艹 first: horizontal, then vertical, then vertical. Then add the bottom 氏 with stroke order: left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, vertical-hook. A common mistake is making the second horizontal in 氏 too long or adding an extra dot like in 民.

芪 has the bottom part 氏 (clan), while 兹 has 玄 (dark, mysterious) below and means "now" or "this." 艻 has 力 (strength) below and is a rare character for a type of grass. Visually, the lower component is the key difference.

芪 appears mostly in the word 黄芪 (huáng qí), referring to astragalus root, a common herb in traditional Chinese medicine used to boost immunity. You may also see it in 芪草 (qí cǎo) for the plant or 芪参 (qí cān) for astragalus and ginseng combinations.

Common words containing 芪 include: 黄芪 (huáng qí) — astragalus (a medicinal herb); 芪草 (qí cǎo) — Astragalus plant; 芪参 (qí cān) — Astragalus and ginseng.