How to Write 髓 (suǐ) — Meaning “marrow / essence”

Imagine that "Sui" sounds like "sweet" — and marrow is the sweet, rich essence hidden inside bones. Picture the left part 骨 as a bone, and the right part 遂 as a person walking toward the bone to reach its tasty core. This visual helps you recall that 髓 means both "marrow" and "essence."

Start by writing the left radical 骨 (9 strokes) narrow and tall. Then write the right side 遂 (12 strokes) — be careful to include the top part 㒸 (with a flat top, then 八 and 豕) and finish with the walk radical 辶 at the bottom. A common mistake is omitting the walk radical or misplacing the dots inside the 豕 component.

髓 means "marrow" or "essence" and is used for bone tissue or abstract inner quality, while 髋 (kuān) means "hip" and 髌 (bìn) means "kneecap." Visually, 髋 has the component 宽 (wide) on the right, 髌 has 宾 (guest), and 髓 has 遂 (follow) with a walk radical at the bottom. In usage, 髋 and 髌 refer to specific bones, whereas 髓 refers to the soft core inside bones.

髓 appears in medical terms like 骨髓 (gǔsuǐ, bone marrow) and 脑髓 (nǎosuǐ, brain tissue), and also figuratively in 精髓 (jīngsuǐ, essence) to mean the most important part of something. In traditional Chinese medicine, marrow is considered a vital substance related to kidney energy. The character is not common in daily conversation but is essential in scientific or philosophical contexts.

Common words containing 髓 include: 骨髓 (gǔ suǐ) — bone marrow; 精髓 (jīng suǐ) — Essence; 脑髓 (nǎo suǐ) — brain tissue; marrow.