How to Write 桫 (suō) — Meaning “Tree fern”

Imagine a tree (木) that looks like a palm tree, and next to it a tiny sand (沙) dune — the tree fern often grows near sandy areas. Or think of the word "suō" sounding like "saw" — you could remember that a tree fern has a rough trunk like a saw blade.

When writing 桫, note that the left radical 木 has a short horizontal stroke and a vertical stroke that becomes a hook before the right side. The right part 沙 is narrower and begins slightly lower than the left; make sure the small 氵 (water) component on the left of 沙 is written with three dots, not a straight line. Common mistakes include making the right side too wide or forgetting the dot on top of 少.

桫 (tree fern) uses the radical 木 with 沙, while 枯 (kū, withered) uses 木 with 古, and 枰 (píng, chessboard) uses 木 with 平. Visually, 枯 has 古 on the right, 枰 has 平, and 桫 has 沙. In meaning, 桫 refers to a living tree fern, 枯 means dry or dead, and 枰 means a flat board for games.

桫 appears almost exclusively in the term 桫椤 (suō luó), the name of a prehistoric tree fern species. It is used in botany, nature documentaries, and descriptions of ancient forests. Culturally, 桫椤 is rare and protected, often symbolizing living fossils from the dinosaur era.

Common words containing 桫 include: 桫椤 (suō luó) — Flying spider-monkey tree fern; 桫椤林 (suō luó lín) — Tree fern forest; 桫椤树 (suō luó shù) — Tree fern.