竹 (zhú) is a Chinese character meaning “bamboo”. It is written from 𠂉 (top stroke form) and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 𠂉 (top stroke form) and 丨 (vertical stroke), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “bamboo”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂉 + 丨 + 𠂉 + 丨
Left–right structure
- 𠂉 top stroke form unknown
- 丨 vertical stroke · gǔn unknown
- 𠂉 top stroke form unknown
- 丨 vertical stroke · gǔn unknown
Structure from: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (6 strokes: 撇 横 竖 / 撇 横 竖, two mirrored halves); no reliable component IDS available
Memory aid
Two matching halves side by side. In each one a leaf swings off a joint (𠂉) and a stalk drops below it (丨) — two bamboo canes standing together.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 竹子zhú zibamboo (the plant)竹 = zhú
- 竹林zhú línbamboo grove; bamboo forest竹 = zhú
- 竹竿zhú gānbamboo pole竹 = zhú
- 竹笋zhú sǔnbamboo shoot竹 = zhú
Go deeper
All readings
bamboo
bamboo; the bamboo plant, and things made from it
多年生常绿植物，茎中空、有节，可做器物、建材，嫩芽可食。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 竹子zhú zibamboo (the plant)竹 = zhú
- 竹林zhú línbamboo grove; bamboo forest竹 = zhú
- 竹竿zhú gānbamboo pole竹 = zhú
- 竹笋zhú sǔnbamboo shoot竹 = zhú
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi lists 竹 as a pictograph of the bamboo plant, describing it as a plant that lives through the winter, with the drooping parts being its sheaths and leaves. The two halves of the modern character still stand like two bamboo canes.
Source: 说文解字·竹部：竹，冬生艸也。象形。下垂者，箁箬也
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 竹 mean?
竹 (zhú) means bamboo; the bamboo plant, and things made from it.
How do you pronounce 竹?
It is pronounced zhú.
What parts is 竹 made of?
𠂉 (top stroke form) and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 𠂉 (top stroke form) and 丨 (vertical stroke), side by side. The recorded source is: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (6 strokes: 撇 横 竖 / 撇 横 竖, two mirrored halves); no reliable component IDS available. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 竹 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 竹?
竹. 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 竹?
Common ones are 竹子 and 竹林. The reading of 竹 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.