How to Write 栀 (zhī) — Meaning “gardenia”

Imagine a wooden cup (木 + 卮 looks like a cup) holding a fragrant white gardenia flower. This visual helps link the wooden radical and the vessel-like right side to the flower.

Write 木 first (horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling), then the right part 卮: start with a left-falling stroke, then two horizontals, a vertical, and a final horizontal. A common mistake is confusing the right side with 巳 (snake) — remember 卮 has an initial left-falling stroke.

All share the 木 radical, but their right sides differ: 栀 has 卮 (wine vessel), 杆 has 干 (dry/stem), and 杈 has 叉 (fork). 栀 means gardenia, while 杆 means pole and 杈 means tree fork. Visually, 栀's right side starts with a left-falling stroke, unlike the others.

栀 appears mainly in the word 栀子花 (gardenia flower), which is a popular ornamental plant with white, fragrant blossoms. It is also used in poetry and names to symbolize purity and elegance. You won't see it often in daily speech, but it is common in gardening and literary contexts.

Common words containing 栀 include: 栀子花 (zhī zi huā) — gardenia flower; 栀子 (zhī zi) — gardenia; 白栀 (bái zhī) — white gardenia.