How to Write 札 (zhá) — Meaning “Letter / Brief note”

Picture a wooden tree (木) with a curved branch (乚) that looks like a rolled-up letter tied with a string. The shape reminds you that 札 means a letter or brief note made from wood.

Write 木 first with a vertical stroke that is straight and slightly longer than the left and right strokes. Then add the 乚 component, which starts with a short horizontal stroke, bends down, and hooks upward—make sure the hook is not too large. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the upward hook.

札 has an extra bent stroke on the right (乚), while 木 is just the tree radical alone. 未 (wèi, meaning 'not yet') has horizontal lines crossing through the tree shape and lacks the hook. In meaning, 札 is about written notes, 木 is wood, and 未 is a time adverb.

札 appears in words like 手札 (personal letter) and 信札 (correspondence), but these are more literary or formal. It is not common in everyday speech, though 札记 (reading notes) is still used for academic or study journals. Culturally, 札 recalls the tradition of writing on bamboo or wooden slips before paper became widespread.

Common words containing 札 include: 手札 (shǒu zhá) — personal letter / manuscript; 札记 (zhá jì) — Reading notes / Sketches; 信札 (xìn zhá) — letters; correspondence (literary).