How to Write 柙 (xiá) — Meaning “cage or pen for animals”

Imagine a wooden box (木) with a thick, armored shell (甲) that keeps a dangerous animal trapped inside. The picture of a tiger inside a sturdy wooden cage can help you link the shape to the meaning "cage or pen."

The left radical 木 must have its fourth stroke (a dot) written neatly, not extending too far to the right. The right part 甲 has a vertical stroke that goes straight down through the center, and the bottom horizontal stroke should be slightly longer than the top one to keep the character balanced.

柙 (cage) uses 甲 inside, while 杆 (gān, pole) uses 干 (gān) on the right and means a long stick, and 杈 (chà, fork/branch) uses 叉 (chā) and refers to a tree fork or pitchfork. Visually, 柙 has an enclosed rectangle (甲) whereas 杆 has a simple cross shape and 杈 has an X-like component.

柙 is an uncommon character mainly found in classical literature or historical texts referring to wooden cages for wild animals like tigers (虎柙). Today it is rarely used in daily speech but may appear in zoo descriptions or when discussing ancient animal husbandry, giving a formal or literary tone.

Common words containing 柙 include: 木柙 (mù xiá) — wooden cage; 虎柙 (hǔ xiá) — Tiger cage; 柙笼 (xiá lóng) — cage or enclosure.