茎 (jīng) is a Chinese character meaning “the stem or stalk of a plant”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 圣 (sage; holy), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “the stem of a plant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
艹 + 圣
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿱艹圣，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：全字 8 笔，笔画 0–2 与「艹」逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 与「圣」逐笔对应
Memory aid
Grass (艹) on top, 圣 underneath holding it up — the leafy part needs something to stand on, and that standing part is the stem.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 根茎gēn jīngrhizome; root and stem茎 = jīng
- 茎叶jīng yèstems and leaves (of a plant)茎 = jīng
Go deeper
All readings
stem; stalk
the stem or stalk of a plant; the part that supports the leaves and flowers
植物体上支撑枝叶花果、输送养分的部分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 根茎gēn jīngrhizome; root and stem茎 = jīng
- 茎叶jīng yèstems and leaves (of a plant)茎 = jīng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 茎 mean?
茎 (jīng) means the stem or stalk of a plant; the part that supports the leaves and flowers.
How do you pronounce 茎?
It is pronounced jīng.
What parts is 茎 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 圣 (sage; holy), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿱艹圣，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：全字 8 笔，笔画 0–2 与「艹」逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 与「圣」逐笔对应. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 茎 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 茎?
艹. 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 茎?
Common ones are 根茎 and 茎叶. The reading of 茎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.