How to Write 芹 (qín) — Meaning “Celery”

Imagine a bunch of celery stalks standing upright like the radical 艹 (grass), and below them an old-fashioned axe (斤) chopping the stems. This visual of "grass + axe" helps link the shape to the vegetable celery.

Write the grass radical 艹 first as two horizontal strokes with a small gap, then the left and right strokes. The lower part 斤 starts with a left-falling stroke, followed by a horizontal and a vertical hook; ensure the vertical hook is straight and not too long. Common mistakes include making the grass radical too wide or overlapping with 斤.

芹 (qín) means celery and has the grass radical 艹 over 斤. 兹 (zī) means "this" or "now" and has two 玄 (mysterious) components stacked, not related to plants. 艻 (lè) is a rare character meaning a type of grass or plant, with grass radical over 力 (strength), and is not used in common words like 芹菜.

芹 appears mainly in the word 芹菜 (qín cài) meaning celery, a common vegetable in Chinese cooking. It is also used in 西芹 (xī qín) for Western celery and in dish names like 炒芹菜 (stir-fried celery). There is no special cultural note, but celery is often eaten for its crunchy texture and mild flavor in soups and stir-fries.

Common words containing 芹 include: 芹菜 (qín cài) — Celery; 西芹 (xī qín) — Celery; 炒芹菜 (chǎo qín cài) — stir-fried celery.