菌 meaning and stroke order
Mushroom; bacteria, germ, microbe
How to write 菌, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 菌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) bacterium
- (bound form) fungus
- Taiwan pr. [jun4]
- mushroom
How 菌 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 囷 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 菌
The grass radical 艹 on top marks something plant-like, and 囷 (qūn) below gives the sound. Picture 囷, grain 禾 stored inside an enclosure 囗, with a little growth sprouting on top, the way mold and fungus grow on stored grain.
In modern Chinese 菌 (jūn) mostly appears in compound words about microbes and fungi, such as 细菌 (xìjūn) and 真菌 (zhēnjūn). When it means mushroom, as in 蘑菇 type foods, it is read jùn in words like 菌子 (jùnzi) in some regions. Example: 饭前要洗手，去掉手上的细菌。 (Fàn qián yào xǐ shǒu, qùdiào shǒu shang de xìjūn.) Wash your hands before eating to get rid of germs.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 菌 with 茵 (yīn, as in 绿茵 grassy field), which also has 艹 on top but has 因 inside the box instead of 禾. Check for 禾 inside the enclosure to write 菌.
Common words with 菌
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 细菌 | xìjūn | bacterium; germ | HSK 6 |
| 病菌 | bìngjūn | harmful bacteria; pathogenic bacteria | |
| 真菌 | zhēnjūn | fungi; fungus | |
| 杆菌 | gǎnjūn | bacillus (any rod-shaped bacteria) |
菌 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 菌
How many strokes are in 菌?
菌 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 菌 mean?
菌 (jūn) means mushroom; bacteria, germ, microbe. A common word with it is 细菌 (xìjūn), meaning "bacterium; germ".
How do you pronounce 菌?
菌 is pronounced jūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 菌?
The radical of 菌 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 菌 under this radical.
Is 菌 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 菌 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 菌 pronounced jūn or jùn?
For bacteria and fungi in general, use jūn, as in 细菌 (xìjūn). The reading jùn is used for edible mushrooms, for example 菌子 (jùnzi) in southwestern dialects. In Taiwan, jùn is also commonly heard for the bacteria sense.
What is the everyday word for mushroom if not 菌?
The most common everyday word is 蘑菇 (mógu). 菌 on its own is rarely used for mushrooms in standard Mandarin, but it appears in words like 菌类 (jūnlèi) fungi and 香菇 related food names on menus.