How to Write 楱 (zòu) — Meaning “cou tree (a type of hazel)”

Imagine a musician sitting under a cou tree, playing a tune on a wooden flute — "zòu" sounds like the music you "play" (奏). The tree (木) provides the wood for the instrument, linking the meaning and sound. This mental picture helps you recall the character's components and pronunciation.

The right side 奏 has nine strokes: start with two horizontal lines, then a large 大 shape with a small dash on top, and finally a 大 below. A common mistake is to write the top part of 奏 too narrowly or to forget the small horizontal stroke inside the lower 大. Keep the left 木 slightly narrower to balance the width.

楱 (zòu) refers to a hazel tree, while 桫 (suō) means a type of palm tree and 桲 (bó) is a kind of fruit tree like the quince. Visually, the right sides differ: 楱 has 奏, 桫 has 沙 (sand), and 桲 has 孛 (a comet). Their pronunciations and meanings are completely distinct.

楱 is very rare today and not part of the HSK vocabulary. It appears mainly in classical texts to describe the cou tree or its nuts (楱子, hazelnut). In modern Chinese, the common word for hazelnut is 榛子 (zhēn zi), so 楱 is mostly encountered in historical or botanical contexts.

Common words containing 楱 include: 楱子 (zòu zi) — hazelnut (archaic); 楱木 (zòu mù) — cou wood; 楱林 (zòu lín) — cou tree forest.