莖 meaning and stroke order
Stem, stalk
How to write 莖, stroke by stroke
11 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 莖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- stalk
- stem
How 莖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 巠 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 莖
The grass radical 艹 on top tells you this is about plants, and 巠 (jīng) below gives the sound. Picture 巠 as a straight vertical line running up from the ground, like the stem that holds up the leaves of a plant.
莖 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In mainland China it is written 茎. It appears in botany and biology words, such as 根莖 (gēnjīng, rhizome) and 陰莖 (yīnjīng, penis). Example: 這朵花的莖很長。(Zhè duǒ huā de jīng hěn cháng.) This flower's stem is very long.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 莖 with 經 (jīng, to pass through) and 徑 (jìng, path), because all three share 巠. Check the left or top part: 艹 for plants, 糸 for 經, 彳 for 徑. Also note that 徑 has a fourth tone, not first.
Common words with 莖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 陰莖 | yīnjīng | penis |
Questions about 莖
How many strokes are in 莖?
莖 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 莖 mean?
莖 (jīng) means stem, stalk. A common word with it is 阴茎 (yīnjīng), meaning "penis".
How do you pronounce 莖?
莖 is pronounced jīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 莖?
The radical of 莖 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 莖 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 莖?
莖 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 茎, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 莖 used in everyday speech for a flower stem?
In casual speech people often say 梗 (gěng) or 枝 (zhī) for a stem or twig, and 花莖 (huājīng) sounds a bit more formal or scientific. 莖 is most common in textbooks, botany, and compound words.
What other words use 巠 as a sound component like 莖?
Many characters read jīng or jìng with 巠, such as 經 (jīng), 頸 (jǐng, neck), 輕 (qīng, light), and 徑 (jìng). Knowing 巠 helps you guess pronunciations, though the tone and initial can vary.