柠 (níng) is a Chinese character meaning “lemon — bound morpheme, used in the word 柠檬 (níngméng)”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 宁 (peaceful; calm (also used as a sound component)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “lemon”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 宁
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰木宁，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 与「木」逐笔对应，笔画 4–8 与「宁」逐笔对应（4+5=9 画）；读音 宁 níng → 柠 níng 完全一致，判定 宁 为声符。未引用任何字源解释
Memory aid
A tree (木) on the left tells you this is a plant; 宁 on the right is only lending its sound, níng. The tree that gives you 柠檬 — lemons.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 柠檬níng ménglemon柠 = níng
Go deeper
All readings
lemon
lemon — bound morpheme, used in the word 柠檬 (níngméng)
「柠檬」的「柠」，指柠檬这种果树和它的果实；不单独使用。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 柠檬níng ménglemon柠 = níng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 柠 mean?
柠 (níng) means lemon — bound morpheme, used in the word 柠檬 (níngméng).
How do you pronounce 柠?
It is pronounced níng.
What parts is 柠 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 宁 (peaceful; calm (also used as a sound component)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰木宁，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 与「木」逐笔对应，笔画 4–8 与「宁」逐笔对应（4+5=9 画）；读音 宁 níng → 柠 níng 完全一致，判定 宁 为声符。未引用任何字源解释. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 柠 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 柠?
木. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 柠?
Common ones are 柠檬. The reading of 柠 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.