How to Write 萨 (sà) — Meaning “Sa (surname); short for Bodhisattva”

Imagine a saxophone (萨克斯) made of grass (艹) because the reed of a saxophone is made from grass. Then remember the sound "sa" by thinking of the word "sax" – the lower part 产 looks like a musical note stand. This connects 萨 to music and its common use in "saxophone."

Write the top grass radical first: horizontal, vertical, vertical. Then the lower part: start with a dot, then a horizontal stroke, two diagonal flicks (left-falling and right-falling), and finish with three horizontal strokes and a final vertical. A common mistake is omitting the dot at the start of the lower part or mixing up the two diagonal flicks – make sure they are clear and not too steep.

萨 has the lower part 产 (produce), while 兹 (zī) has a lower part resembling 玄 (dark, mysterious) and is used in words like "now" or "this." 苧 (zhù) has the lower part 宁 (peace) and refers to a plant called ramie. Visually, the bottom of 萨 is wider and has a dot on top, unlike 兹 which has a more closed shape, and 苧 which has a shorter bottom.

萨 appears mainly in transliterations of foreign words, such as 萨克斯 (saxophone), 菩萨 (Bodhisattva), and 拉萨 (Lhasa). Culturally, 菩萨 is a key term in Buddhism, representing enlightened beings who help others – this character is often seen in temples or religious texts. It is also a common surname in China.

Common words containing 萨 include: 萨克斯 (sà kè sī) — saxophone; 菩萨 (pú sà) — Bodhisattva; 拉萨 (lā sà) — Lhasa.