How to Write 蒜 (suàn) — Meaning “garlic”

Imagine grass (艹) growing above a garlic bulb that has two cloves inside, represented by 祘. This picture of a plant with two cloves helps you recall that 蒜 means garlic.

Start with the top radical 艹 (three strokes: horizontal, left vertical, right vertical). Then write the bottom part 祘 as two side-by-side 示 characters, each with four strokes. Common mistakes include making the two 示 uneven or forgetting the dot in each 示, so keep the bottom half balanced.

All three share the grass radical 艹, but their bottom parts differ: 蒜 has 祘 (garlic), 莿 has 刺 (meaning thorn), and 菀 has 宛 (meaning lush growth). The bottom component changes the meaning completely, so 蒜 refers to garlic, not thorns or dense plants.

蒜 appears in cooking words like 大蒜 (dà suàn, garlic) and 蒜泥 (suàn ní, garlic paste). It is very common in Chinese kitchens and also appears in cultural sayings about health, as garlic is believed to have medicinal properties.

Common words containing 蒜 include: 大蒜 (dà suàn) — Garlic; 蒜头 (suàn tóu) — garlic bulb; 蒜泥 (suàn ní) — garlic paste or mashed garlic.