槐 meaning and stroke order
Locust tree
How to write 槐, 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 槐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- Chinese scholar tree (Sophora japonica)
- Japanese pagoda tree
How 槐 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 鬼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 槐
槐 is a tree 木 (mù) with a ghost 鬼 (guǐ) beside it. Picture a big shady tree where people say a ghost likes to sit, and 鬼 also hints at the sound.
槐 is almost always used in the word 槐树 (huáishù), the Chinese scholar tree, a common shade tree along streets and in old courtyards in northern China. Example: 院子里有一棵老槐树。(Yuànzi lǐ yǒu yī kē lǎo huáishù.) There is an old scholar tree in the courtyard.
Common mistake: Learners often read 槐 as guǐ because of the 鬼 part, but it is pronounced huái with a second tone. Also do not confuse it with 愧 (kuì, ashamed), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of 木.
Common words with 槐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 槐树 | huáishù | locust tree (Sophora japonica) | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 槐
How many strokes are in 槐?
槐 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 槐 mean?
槐 (huái) means locust tree. A common word with it is 槐树 (huáishù), meaning "locust tree (Sophora japonica)".
How do you pronounce 槐?
槐 is pronounced huái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 槐?
The radical of 槐 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 槐 under this radical.
Is 槐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 槐 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 槐树 the same as the American black locust tree?
Not exactly. 槐树 usually means Sophora japonica, the Chinese scholar tree. The black locust is often called 刺槐 (cìhuái) or 洋槐 (yánghuái) to tell it apart.
Does 槐 appear in any famous Chinese expressions?
Yes, the idiom 指桑骂槐 (zhǐ sāng mà huái) means pointing at the mulberry while cursing the scholar tree. It describes criticizing someone indirectly by seeming to talk about something else.