How to Write 椥 (zhī) — Meaning “Nagi (a type of tree)”

Imagine a wise tree (木) that "knows" (知) its own name is "Nagi" — the sound of 知 is like "ji" in "Nagi". This picture of a knowledgeable tree will help you connect the parts to the character's meaning and pronunciation.

Write the left radical 木 narrowly, with the last stroke changing from a right-falling stroke to a dot when it acts as a radical. The right part 知 begins with 矢 (arrow), then add a small 口 (mouth) underneath — make sure the 口 is centered and compact. A common mistake is making the 木 too wide, which throws off the balance.

椥 has the component 知 (know) on the right, while 柴 (chái, firewood) has 此 (this) and 栓 (shuān, bolt) has 全 (whole). Visually, 柴 has a flatter top with 止+匕, and 栓 has a clear 全 shape. Meaning-wise, 椥 is a rare tree name, 柴 means firewood, and 栓 means a plug or latch — they are not interchangeable.

椥 is not part of standard modern Chinese vocabulary and does not appear in the HSK list. It is primarily used in Japanese place names, such as 椥辻 (Nagitsuji) in Kyoto, where it refers to a district or station. A Chinese speaker would likely only encounter it in Japanese geographic contexts or specialized botanical references.

Common words containing 椥 include: 椥辻 (zhī shí) — Nagitsuji (place name); 椥木 (zhī mù) — Nagi wood; 椥辻站 (zhī shí zhàn) — Nagitsuji Station.