How to Write 粟 (sù) — Meaning “millet”

Imagine a bag of millet spilling out over a rice field — the top part 米 represents the rice grains, and the bottom 㐭 looks like a basket or container. Think: "The millet is stored in a basket under the rice pile."

Write the top half (米) with the horizontal stroke crossing through the vertical, then the four diagonal strokes. The bottom part (㐭) has a left-falling stroke (撇) first, then a horizontal, a left-falling and a right-falling, but beginners often confuse the bottom with 'western' 西 — note that 㐭 has no top horizontal line like 西 does. Keep the overall shape balanced, with 米 slightly wider than the base.

粟 (millet) has the radical 米 on top and the granary component below; 粉 (powder) also uses 米 but with 分 (divide) on the right, meaning something ground into fine particles. 粑 (cake) has 米 on the left and 巴 on the right, referring to a pressed rice cake. Visually, 粟 is top-bottom while 粉 and 粑 are left-right, and their meanings all relate to grain but in different forms.

粟 is most commonly seen in the word 粟米 (sù mǐ, millet), used in food contexts like 粟米粥 (millet porridge). It also appears in the idiom 沧海一粟 (cāng hǎi yī sù, a drop in the ocean), describing something tiny compared to the vast sea, and in 罂粟 (yīng sù, poppy), the opium plant — though this is a different plant entirely. Millet was a staple grain in ancient China, so 粟 carries historical agricultural significance.

Common words containing 粟 include: 粟米 (sù mǐ) — millet; 沧海一粟 (cāng hǎi yī sù) — a drop in the ocean; 罂粟 (yīng sù) — poppy.