How to Write 柘 (zhè) — Meaning “Cudrania tree”

Imagine a tree (木) that has a stone (石) wedged into its trunk. This stone represents the hard wood of the Cudrania tree, which was once used to make imperial robes dyed 柘黄 (reddish-yellow). The image of a tree with a stone stuck in it will remind you of this special tree.

Write the left radical 木 narrow, with the vertical stroke crossing the horizontal stroke cleanly. The right part 石 begins slightly lower than the left, and its 口 (mouth) should be well-proportioned. A common mistake is making the 木 too wide, which pushes the 石 off-balance.

The key difference is the right component: 柘 has 石 (stone), 杆 has 干 (pole), and 杈 has 叉 (fork). Visually, 柘 contains a square 口 inside 石, while the others do not. In meaning, 杆 refers to poles or sticks, 杈 means forks, but 柘 is a specific tree name.

柘 is rare in everyday speech and appears mainly in botanical terms like 柘树 (Cudrania tree) or historical terms such as 柘黄 (the imperial reddish-yellow color). Culturally, the tree's wood was prized for making bows and its bark for dyeing robes worn by emperors during the Tang dynasty. You may see it in classical texts or traditional craft discussions.

Common words containing 柘 include: 柘树 (zhè shù) — Cudrania tree; 柘丝 (zhè sī) — Cudrania silk; 柘黄 (zhè huáng) — reddish-yellow (imperial color).