How to Write 芝 (zhī) — Meaning “Ganoderma / Divine herb”

Picture a grass plant (艹) growing on top of a magical mushroom that looks like the letter "z" — the bottom part 之 resembles a zigzag path. Then say "Zhi, the divine herb!" to connect the sound and meaning.

First write the grass radical 艹 with horizontal, vertical, horizontal strokes. Then write 之: dot, horizontal, left-falling stroke, right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the bottom of 之 too wide or forgetting the dot at the top.

芝 has 之 below, meaning a mushroom or herb. 艺 has 乙 (yǐ) below and means art or skill. 艻 has 力 (lì) below and is a rare character for a type of grass. Look at the bottom part to see the difference.

芝 appears in common words like 芝麻 (sesame) and 芝士 (cheese), and in 灵芝 (reishi mushroom), which is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. It is not used alone much, but it carries a sense of health and longevity in Chinese culture.

Common words containing 芝 include: 芝麻 (zhī má) — Sesame; 芝士 (zhī shì) — Cheese; 灵芝 (líng zhī) — lingzhi mushroom; reishi mushroom.