How to Write 皂 (zào) — Meaning “Soap”

Imagine a white bar of soap with the number 7 written on it. The white part (白) represents the soap, and the 7 (七) at the bottom is like a label. This simple image makes it easy to recall that 皂 means soap.

When writing 皂, make the top 白 wide and balanced, and keep the bottom 七 small and centered. A common mistake is making the bottom 七 too large or giving it a long hook. The horizontal stroke of 七 should be short, and the vertical hook should curve gently downward.

白 is just the top part of 皂 and means "white," while 百 (hundred) has a horizontal stroke on top of 白. 皂 is unique because it adds the small 七 at the bottom. Visually, look for that extra "seven" shape below the white radical – neither 白 nor 百 has it.

皂 appears in everyday words like 肥皂 (feízào, soap) and 香皂 (xiāngzào, scented soap). It is also part of the idiom 皂白 (zàobái, black and white), used to mean right and wrong, for example in "不分皂白" (cannot tell right from wrong). Though not an HSK character, it is common in daily life and product labels.

Common words containing 皂 include: 肥皂 (féi zào) — Soap.; 香皂 (xiāng zào) — scented soap; 皂白 (zào bái) — Black and white (right and wrong).