How to Write 筱 (xiǎo) — Meaning “small bamboo”

Picture a small bamboo plant (竹) that is so tiny it needs a little (攸) nook to fit in. The word '攸' looks like a small person standing beside the bamboo, helping you recall that 筱 means 'small bamboo.'

First write the left part of the bamboo radical (three strokes: left-falling, horizontal, left-falling), then the right part (three more strokes: left-falling, horizontal, left-falling). Next write the bottom component 攸: first the vertical stroke, then the little 'person' shape (丿丨乛ノ㇏). A common mistake is making the bamboo radical too wide; keep it narrow so the bottom part has room. Also note the bottom 攸 ends with a right-falling stroke (捺), not a dot.

All three characters share the bamboo radical, but their lower parts differ. 筱 has 攸 (yōu) below, 笙 has 生 (shēng) below, and 笛 has 由 (yóu) below. In meaning, 筱 refers to small bamboo, while 笙 is a bamboo mouth organ and 笛 is a bamboo flute. Visually, the lower component is the key clue to tell them apart.

Today 筱 is rarely used in everyday speech but appears often in personal names, such as 筱雨 (Xiǎo Yǔ), and in place names like 筱园 (Xiǎo Yuán, a garden). It also appears in poetic or classical Chinese writings to describe thin, delicate bamboo. Because of its elegant feel, it is a popular character for naming girls.

Common words containing 筱 include: 筱竹 (xiǎo zhú) — small bamboo; 筱园 (xiǎo yuán) — Xiao Garden; 筱雨 (xiǎo yǔ) — Xiaoyu (a person's name).