橘 meaning and stroke order
Orange, tangerine
How to write 橘, stroke by stroke
16 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 橘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata); tangerine; (loosely) orange
How 橘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 矞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 橘
橘 (jú) puts the tree 木 on the left and 矞 on the right, which hints at the sound. Picture a tree 木 heavy with small round tangerines.
橘 is a bound form, so it usually appears inside words like 橘子 (júzi, tangerine), 橘色 (júsè, orange color) and 柑橘 (gānjú, citrus). Example: 我买了一斤橘子。(Wǒ mǎi le yì jīn júzi.) I bought half a kilo of tangerines.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side 矞 wrong because it has many small strokes, so check it carefully against a model. Also, 橘子 is a tangerine or mandarin orange, while a regular sweet orange is usually 橙子 (chéngzi).
Common words with 橘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
橘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 橘
How many strokes are in 橘?
橘 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 橘 mean?
橘 (jú) means orange, tangerine. A common word with it is 橘子 (júzi), meaning "mandarin orange; tangerine; (loosely) orange".
How do you pronounce 橘?
橘 is pronounced jú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 橘?
The radical of 橘 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 橘 under this radical.
Is 橘 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 橘 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 橘 sometimes written as 桔?
In everyday writing, especially on signs and menus, 桔 (jú) is often used as a simpler stand-in for 橘, as in 桔子. The standard form for tangerine is 橘子, so use 橘 in careful writing.
Why are tangerines popular at Chinese New Year?
The sound jú is close to 吉 (jí, lucky), so tangerines are given as symbols of good fortune. People often place them in homes or bring them as gifts during the holiday.