How to Write 炷 (zhù) — Meaning “stick (of incense)”

Picture a stick of incense with a tiny flame: the left side 火 is the fire, and the right side 主 looks like the straight stick with a dot at the top for the burning tip. Imagine saying "the master (主) of fire (火) is this incense stick."

Start with the 火 radical: write a dot, then a small left-falling stroke, then a right-falling stroke (like '人' but separate). Then write the right part 主: a dot on top, a horizontal line, then a vertical, another horizontal, another vertical, and a long bottom horizontal. Common mistakes include making the bottom horizontal too short or forgetting the dot above 主.

炷 (zhù) has the right side 主 and means incense stick or wick. 灶 (zào) has 土 (earth) on the right and means a stove. 灸 (jiǔ) has 火 on top and 久 (long time) below, meaning moxibustion. The key difference is the right component: 主 vs 土 vs 久.

炷 appears mainly in the phrases 一炷香 (one stick of incense) and 灯炷 (lamp wick). It is used when talking about burning incense for prayer or meditation, and historically incense sticks were also used to measure time. Today it is most common in temples and traditional settings.

Common words containing 炷 include: 一炷香 (yī zhù xiāng) — a stick of incense; 灯炷 (dēng zhù) — Lamp wick; 炷香 (zhù xiāng) — a stick of incense.