菊 (jú) is a Chinese character meaning “chrysanthemum”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 匊 (sound component in 菊 / 鞠 (jú / jū)), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “chrysanthemum”
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Structure
艹 + 匊
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：菊，大菊，蘧麥。从艸，匊聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 艹，笔画 4–11 与 匊 逐笔对应；匊 笔画 1–2 为 勹，3–8 为 米）
Memory aid
A plant (艹) growing over 匊, the sound part (jū). Picture a round, tightly packed bloom sitting on its stem — the chrysanthemum, 菊 jú.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 菊花jú huāchrysanthemum菊 = jú
- 雏菊chú júdaisy菊 = jú
Go deeper
All readings
chrysanthemum
chrysanthemum
菊花，一种秋季开花的草本植物，花有黄、白等多种颜色。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 菊花jú huāchrysanthemum菊 = jú
- 雏菊chú júdaisy菊 = jú
Sound component
匊 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 菊 mean?
菊 (jú) means chrysanthemum.
How do you pronounce 菊?
It is pronounced jú.
What parts is 菊 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 匊 (sound component in 菊 / 鞠 (jú / jū)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：菊，大菊，蘧麥。从艸，匊聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–3 为 艹，笔画 4–11 与 匊 逐笔对应；匊 笔画 1–2 为 勹，3–8 为 米）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 菊 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 菊?
艸. 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 菊?
Common ones are 菊花 and 雏菊. The reading of 菊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.