How to Write 粥 (zhōu) — Meaning “porridge; congee”

Imagine two bowls of rice (米 on left and bottom right) connected by a curved bridge 弓, like a spoon stirring them together into porridge. This visual of "rice-bridge-rice" helps you recall the character's form and its meaning of thick, mixed rice porridge.

The left 米 must be narrow with the last stroke changing to a dot (not a full捺). The top right 弓 should be compact with three horizontal strokes, and the bottom right 米 is slightly wider. A common mistake is making the two 米 parts the same size; the left one should be smaller and the bottom right larger.

粥 (zhōu) specifically means liquid porridge or congee, while 粉 (fěn) usually refers to powder or noodles, and 粑 (bā) means a flat cake or dumpling. Visually, 粥 contains two 米 parts with a 弓 in between, whereas 粉 has 米 plus 分 (divide), and 粑 has 米 plus 巴 (to cling). Their meanings and usage in food contexts are distinct.

粥 is commonly eaten for breakfast or as a light meal, especially when sick, because it is easy to digest. In Chinese culture, offering someone a bowl of hot porridge conveys care and comfort, and there is a tradition of eating 腊八粥 (laba porridge) on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Common words containing 粥 include: 喝粥 (hē zhōu) — To have porridge; 煮粥 (zhǔ zhōu) — to cook porridge; 大米粥 (dà mǐ zhōu) — Rice porridge.