茴 meaning and stroke order
Fennel, aniseed
How to write 茴, stroke by stroke
9 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 茴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) fennel
How 茴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Herb.
艹 gives the meaning and 回 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 茴
茴 is a plant character: the grass radical 艹 on top marks it as an herb, and 回 (huí) below gives the sound. Picture an herb whose smell keeps coming back (回) to you, like strong fennel.
茴 is a bound form and almost always appears in 茴香 (huíxiāng), fennel. In everyday cooking you will also see 八角茴香 for star anise, often shortened to 八角. Example: 我喜欢吃茴香饺子。(Wǒ xǐhuan chī huíxiāng jiǎozi.) I like fennel dumplings.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write only 回 and forget the 艹 on top, or they mix up 茴 with 苘 (qǐng), which has 冋 instead of 回. Check that the inner part is a full small box inside a big box.
Common words with 茴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 茴香 | huíxiāng | fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) |
Questions about 茴
How many strokes are in 茴?
茴 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 茴 mean?
茴 (huí) means fennel, aniseed. A common word with it is 茴香 (huíxiāng), meaning "fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)".
How do you pronounce 茴?
茴 is pronounced huí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 茴?
The radical of 茴 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 茴 under this radical.
Is 茴香 fennel leaves or fennel seeds?
Both. In northern Chinese home cooking, 茴香 often means the fresh green fronds used in dumpling fillings, while 小茴香 (xiǎo huíxiāng) usually refers to the seeds used as a spice.
What is the famous phrase about 茴 having four ways of writing?
In Lu Xun's story 孔乙己, the character Kong Yiji asks if people know the four ways to write the 回 in 茴香豆 (huíxiāngdòu), fennel-flavored beans. The phrase is now used to mock pointless pedantry.