How to Write 鬒 (zhěn) — Meaning “thick black hair”

Think of "true hair" — the right side 真 means "true" and the left side 髟 means "hair." Imagine a person with such thick black hair that it looks like a dark cloud, which is "truly" impressive.

The left radical 髟 has many horizontal strokes followed by three short downward strokes, so be careful to keep them even and not too crowded. A common mistake is making the left side too narrow compared to the right side 真, which should be slightly taller and balanced.

鬒 (zhěn) specifically means thick black hair on a person's head, while 鬃 (zōng) refers to a horse's mane or bristle, and 鬄 (tì) means a wig or false hair. Visually, the right side differs: 鬒 has 真, 鬃 has 宗, and 鬄 has 弟.

鬒 is a rare classical character not used in everyday speech, but it appears in poetry and literary works to describe beautiful, thick black hair. It carries a poetic and elegant feel, often praising a woman's hair in traditional Chinese culture.

Common words containing 鬒 include: 鬒发 (zhěn fā) — thick black hair; 鬒黑 (zhěn hēi) — jet-black and thick (hair); 鬒云 (zhěn yún) — cloud-like thick black hair.