How to Write 桠 (yā) — Meaning “Fork (of a tree branch)”

Imagine a tree (木) with a branch that splits into two parts, like the letter 'Y'. The right side 亚 looks like a twisted fork shape, reminding you that 桠 means a fork in a tree branch.

When writing 桠, keep the left radical 木 narrow and the right part 亚 wider. The horizontal stroke in 亚 should be shorter than the bottom horizontal, and the final stroke is a downward vertical hook. Common mistakes include making the two parts unbalanced or writing 亚 too small.

桠 (yā) means a branch fork, while 杪 (miǎo) means the tip of a tree branch or twig. 杭 (háng) refers to a boat or the city of Hangzhou. Visually, 杪 has 少 on the right and 杭 has 亢 on the right, so they are distinct in both meaning and components.

桠 is not common in daily conversation but appears in descriptions of tree branches, like 树桠 (tree fork) or 枝桠 (forked branch). It is often used in nature writing or botany contexts. Culturally, the character evokes images of old trees with twisted branches, common in Chinese landscape poetry.

Common words containing 桠 include: 树桠 (shù yā) — Tree fork; 枝桠 (zhī yā) — branch; fork of a tree; 桠杈 (yā chà) — Forked branch.