How to Write 朽 (xiǔ) — Meaning “rotten; decayed”

Imagine a wooden sign (木) that has been exposed to rain and sun for so long it has started to crumble and decay, with a curved, broken shape (丂) forming on its surface. This visual of a ruined, rotten piece of wood can help link the character to its meaning.

When writing 朽, note that the horizontal stroke of the left radical 木 should be slanted upward slightly and the right component 丂 starts with a short horizontal line. A common mistake is making the right side look like 亏 (kuī) – ensure the final stroke bends downward gracefully, not straight.

朽 has an extra right component 丂 that 木 lacks, so 木 simply means "tree" or "wood." 未 (wèi, "not yet") has a longer top horizontal stroke and no decay meaning – visually, 未 looks balanced while 朽 has a curved right side hinting at rot.

朽 often appears in literary or formal contexts, such as 腐朽 (decadent) describing moral decay, and 不朽 (immortal) in praise of lasting achievements. The word 朽木 (rotten wood) is also used figuratively to call someone hopeless or useless, similar to the English phrase "a lost cause."

Common words containing 朽 include: 腐朽 (fǔ xiǔ) — Decadent / Rotten; 朽木 (xiǔ mù) — rotten wood; a useless person; 不朽 (bù xiǔ) — immortal; undying.