Definitions
Etymology
Depicts chives growing from the ground.
About
The character 韭 (jiǔ) is a pictographic noun for garlic chives, a perennial herb used widely in East Asian cooking. Its form visually depicts the plant: the bottom horizontal stroke represents the ground, while the upper strokes show its slender, flat leaves growing upward in a cluster. Unlike characters with separate semantic and phonetic components, 韭 functions as its own independent radical. In modern usage, it refers specifically to this allium species, as seen in the common term 韭菜 (jiǔcài).
Etymology Hide
