How to Write 叶 (yè) — Meaning “leaf”

Imagine a leaf with ten (十) prominent veins spreading from a central point, and the mouth (口) represents the leaf's broad surface. Alternatively, think of "ten mouths" but visualize them as overlapping leaf shapes.

Stroke order: first write the left radical 口 (three strokes: left vertical, top-right corner, bottom horizontal), then the right part 十 (horizontal, then vertical). A common mistake is making the right vertical too short or misaligning it with the center of 口.

叶 has a 十 (ten) on the right, while 卟 has a 卜 (divination) on the right and is rare. 口 is just the radical alone, meaning "mouth," whereas 叶 always means "leaf" or is used in leaf-related words.

叶 appears in common words like 树叶 (tree leaf), 茶叶 (tea leaf), and 叶子 (leaf). It is also part of the idiom 落叶归根 (falling leaves return to the root), which expresses the idea of returning to one's hometown after a long time.

Common words containing 叶 include: 树叶 (shù yè) — Leaf; 茶叶 (chá yè) — tea leaves; 叶子 (yè zi) — leaf.