How to Write 榨 (zhà) — Meaning “To squeeze / To press”

Picture a wooden press (木) squeezing fruit so hard that it becomes extremely thin and narrow (窄). This image of pressing fruit into a narrow shape directly links to the meaning "to squeeze" and helps you visualize the character's structure.

Write the left radical 木 slightly narrower than usual, and place its fourth stroke (right dot) a bit higher. The right part 窄 has many horizontal strokes—keep them evenly spaced and not too long; a common mistake is making the right side too wide, which ruins the balance.

榨 has 木 on the left and 窄 on the right, meaning "to squeeze." 棉 also uses 木 on the left but replaces the right with 帛 (silk fabric), referring to cotton. 棋 uses 木 with 其 on the right, meaning chess. Visually, 榨's right side has a roof (穴 top) and 乍 (zha) bottom, while the others have different components.

榨 is common in food and industry, such as 榨汁 (squeeze juice) and 榨油 (extract oil). A famous cultural item is 榨菜, a spicy pickled mustard tuber that is a staple side dish in Chinese meals. The character reflects traditional and modern methods of pressing and extracting, deeply tied to Chinese culinary practices.

Common words containing 榨 include: 榨汁 (zhà zhī) — To squeeze juice; 榨菜 (zhà cài) — Pickled mustard tuber; 榨油 (zhà yóu) — To extract oil.