How to Write 芫 (yán/yuán) — Meaning “Coriander / Daphne genkwa”

Picture a grassy field (艹) shaped like a dollar sign ($) from the top of a large green onion (元 resembles a person with a round head). This helps recall that 芫 is the plant used in cooking — coriander, often garnished like a "green dollar" on dishes.

Write the grass radical 艹 first as two horizontal strokes with a vertical center, then write 元 beneath it. A common mistake is making the 艹 too wide or the 元 too tall — keep the bottom part compact and centered, and note that the second horizontal stroke of 元 is shorter than the first.

芫 (yán, coriander) has the plant radical 艹 over 元, while 兹 (zī, meaning "this") has 艹 over 玄 (xuán, dark/spiral) with different strokes. 艻 (lè, a type of grass or tree) also uses 艹 but with 力 (lì, strength), and is rare; visually, 芫 has an open "leg" from 元's second stroke, unlike 兹's closed top.

芫 appears primarily in the word 芫荽 (yán suī), meaning coriander or cilantro, which is a common herb in Chinese cooking. It is also used in herbal medicine for 芫花 (yuán huā, lilac daphne) and in the dish name 芫爆 (yán bào, stir-fried with coriander). Note that the pronunciation changes to yuán for the plant name 芫花, so learners should check context.

Common words containing 芫 include: 芫荽 (yán suī) — Coriander / Cilantro; 芫花 (yuán huā) — Lilac daphne; 芫爆 (yán bào) — Sauté with coriander.