艹
The 艹 radical
Grass, plants
Variants: 艸
Memory hook
Two blades of grass growing up
The 艹 radical (read cǎo) means grass, plants. The HSK 3.0 data contains 83 characters and 295 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 艹 radical
Study this radical's 295 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 艹 radical
83 charactersThe free plan shows 9 characters per HSK level (39/83 characters of this radical).
HSK 1· 3 characters
HSK 1花
flower
茶
tea
菜
vegetable
HSK 2· 5 characters
HSK 2节
measure word for class periods
英
hero; outstanding
草
grass
药
medicine; drug
蓝
blue
HSK 3· 7 characters
HSK 3艺
art, the arts
苦
bitter (taste)
苹
apple (the fruit)
范
scope, limit, range
营
camp, barracks
落
to fall, to drop
蕉
banana
HSK 4· 3 characters
HSK 4获
to obtain, to win (an achievement, award, etc.)
著
famous, renowned
薄
thin
HSK 5· 4 characters
HSK 5荣
glory, honor, glorious
萄
grape
葡
grape (the fruit)
蔬
vegetable (plant, type)
HSK 6· 8 characters
HSK 6苏
Jiangsu Province
若
if, supposing
茄
eggplant (e.g. eggplant, round eggplant)
菌
bacteria
蒙
to deceive, to fool
薪
firewood
薯
yam; tuber
藏
to hide, to store away
HSK 7-9· 9 characters
HSK 7-9艾
mugwort; the artemisia plant
芒
sharp blade of grass, pointed tip
芝
lingzhi mushroom
芦
reed, rush
芬
fragrance; aroma
芭
banana plant; a plant of the banana family (often referring to the canna lily or an ornamental banana plant)
芯
core
芳
fragrant
芽
sprout, bud (of a plant)
Vocabulary with the 艹 radical
295 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 艹 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (57/295 words of this radical).
flower
tea
vegetable
Spring Festival; Chinese New Year
measure word for class periods
holiday; festival
program; show
garden
English (language)
English (language)
grass
lawn; grassland
milk tea; bubble tea
painful; agonizing
Chinese cabbage; napa cabbage
black tea (fully fermented tea, dark red when brewed)
to operate; to run (a business); to manage
green tea
art
to economize; thrifty
apple
season, season of the year
to bloom, to blossom
to harvest
remarkable, notable
detail
to save, to economize
bitter (taste)
brave, heroic
tea, tea leaves
Mid-Autumn Festival
traditional Chinese medicine
glory, honor
craftsmanship, manufacturing process
plot
literature and art
peach blossom
model, exemplar
link, stage
medicine; medicine and healthcare
Christmas
to recover, to revive
to collect, to store; collection
season, time of year
plum blossom
Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)
explosive, dynamite
fireworks
At one's wit's end, helpless, with no way out.
whereabouts, trace
monograph, treatise
all kinds, diverse and varied
why bother to
festive occasion, holiday (usually refers to important traditional festivals).
to capture alive, to take prisoner
if, supposing that
destitute, bankrupt, having lost everything
Why learn vocabulary by the 艹 radical?
The 艹 radical hints at the meaning grass, plants. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 83 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 295 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.