How to Write 蕈 (xùn) — Meaning “mushroom / fungus”

Picture a mushroom (蕈) growing under a patch of grass (艹), and the bottom part 覃 reminds you of a deep flavor — think of a rich, earthy mushroom taste. Alternatively, imagine the grass covering a treasure (覃 meaning deep) that is a mushroom.

Write the grass radical 艹 first (3 strokes), then the top part of 覃 (西, 6 strokes) making it slightly narrow, and finally 早 (6 strokes) centered below. A common mistake is making 西 too wide or misplacing the horizontal lines in 早, so keep the whole character balanced and compact.

All three have the grass radical 艹, but 蕈 has the bottom 覃 (xùn) and specifically means mushroom. 葄 has the bottom 乍 (zhà, meaning "sudden") and is a rare character for a type of grass, while 蒗 has bottom 浪 (làng, meaning "wave") and appears in place names. Only 蕈 refers to fungi.

蕈 is a formal or botanical term for mushroom, often found in the names of specific fungi like 松蕈 (matsutake) and 香蕈 (shiitake). In everyday conversation, most people use the word 蘑菇 (mógu) instead. The character appears in culinary and scientific contexts, especially for prized mushrooms.

Common words containing 蕈 include: 蕈子 (xùn zi) — mushroom; 松蕈 (sōng xùn) — matsutake mushroom; 香蕈 (xiāng xùn) — Shiitake mushroom.