椿 meaning and stroke order
Chinese toon tree; father (poetic)
How to write 椿, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 椿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- Chinese toon (Toona sinensis)
- tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- (literary metaphor) father
How 椿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 春 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 椿
椿 is a tree 木 (mù) with 春 (chūn, spring) beside it. Picture a tree whose fresh leaves are picked and eaten every spring, and 春 also gives the sound chūn.
椿 appears mostly in tree names. The best known is 香椿 (xiāngchūn), the Chinese toon, whose young shoots are a spring vegetable. Example: 香椿炒鸡蛋很好吃。(Xiāngchūn chǎo jīdàn hěn hǎochī.) Scrambled eggs with toon shoots are delicious.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 椿 with 春 (chūn, spring). They sound the same, but only 椿 has the 木 tree radical on the left, and it never means the season. Also, do not mix it up with 棒 (bàng), which has a similar right side but 奉 instead of 春.
Questions about 椿
How many strokes are in 椿?
椿 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 椿 mean?
椿 (chūn) means Chinese toon tree; father (poetic).
How do you pronounce 椿?
椿 is pronounced chūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 椿?
The radical of 椿 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 椿 under this radical.
Why does 椿 mean father in literary Chinese?
Classical writing used the long-lived 椿 tree as a symbol of a father's long life. The phrase 椿萱 (chūnxuān) pairs it with 萱, a plant that stands for the mother, so 椿萱 means parents. You will see it in formal or old-style writing, not everyday speech.
What is the difference between 香椿 and 臭椿?
香椿 (xiāngchūn, fragrant toon) is the Chinese toon, Toona sinensis, and its shoots are eaten. 臭椿 (chòuchūn, smelly toon) is the tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, which is not used as a vegetable.