Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
荪 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
荪sūnaromatic grass; flower, iriszg, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #60490, Very Hard
荪sūnfragrant grassunknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #60490, Very Hard
sūn(sun1) T1
  1. 1aromatic grass; flower, iris
  2. 2fragrant grass
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
荪(蓀)sūn(sun1)

The character 荪 (sūn) refers to a type of aromatic grass, often associated with flowers like iris. It is commonly used in poetic or literary contexts to describe fragrant plants, evoking imagery of nature and beauty.

Strokes9Radical艹Frequency#60490DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, fragrant plants like 荪 are often associated with harmony and beauty, and they appear in classical poetry as symbols of nature's elegance.

Memory Tip

Imagine a garden filled with fragrant grass (荪) swaying gently in the breeze. The character has the radical for 'plant' (艹) at the top, which signifies its botanical nature, and the bottom part sounds like 'sun,' reminding you of a sunny day in a fragrant garden.

Meanings of 荪

sūn(sun1)
1aromatic grass; flower, iris
2fragrant grass
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 荪

荪Simplified
蓀Traditional
9Strokes
艹Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 荪

JasonAmy

Podcast: 荪

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 荪

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a garden filled with fragrant grass (荪) swaying gently in the breeze. The character has the radical for 'plant' (艹) at the top, which signifies its botanical nature, and the bottom part sounds like 'sun,' reminding you of a sunny day in a fragrant garden.

Usage Notes

荪 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, making it more suitable for written or literary contexts. Be cautious with tone; it is pronounced with the first tone (sūn), which can be confusing with similar-sounding words in different tones.

HSK Study Tips

Currently, 荪 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, but understanding it can enhance your grasp of botanical terms. Focus on memorizing similar characters related to plants and nature, as they often appear in literature.

Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, fragrant plants like 荪 are often associated with harmony and beauty, and they appear in classical poetry as symbols of nature's elegance.

Common Mistakes

Learners may confuse 荪 with similar-sounding characters like 孙 (sūn), which means 'grandson' or 'descendant.' Remember, 荪 refers specifically to fragrant grass, not family relations.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 荪

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 荪 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 荪

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 孙 represents the sound. Simplified form of 蓀.

Memory Hint

grass

Semantic (meaning)艹
+
Phonetic (sound)孙
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 荪?

Decomposition of 荪

IDS Structure⿱艹孙
荪Full Character
=
艹cao3
top
孙Sun1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 荪?

Write 荪

荪

Practice writing 荪 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 荪

荪 carries 2 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

张东____认为知识是感相与格式以及设准等的产物.

Zhang Dongsun thinks knowledge is joint product of sense, form and postulate.

Example Sentences for 荪 (5)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
张东荪认为知识是感相与格式以及设准等的产物.

zhāng dōng sūn rèn wéi zhī shí shì gǎn xiāng yǔ gé shì yǐ jí shè zhǔn děng de chǎn wù.

Zhang Dongsun thinks knowledge is joint product of sense, form and postulate.
2
吴荪 甫 眉毛一挺, 心头的焦躁好像减轻了些微.

wú sūn fǔ méi máo, yī tǐng , xīn tóu de jiāo zào hǎo xiàng jiǎn qīng.

Wu Sun - fu's irascibility appeared to have abated somewhat , for his frown disappeared.
3
和李玉亭分手后, 吴荪甫就一直回家.

hé lǐ yù tíng fēn shǒu hòu, , wú sūn fǔ jiù yī zhí huí.

After he had taken his leave of Li Yu - ting, Wu Sun - fu drove straight home.
4
吴荪甫耸耸肩膀, 过一会儿,他像吐弃了什么似的, 笑了笑说道:“呵!

wú sūn fǔ sǒng sǒng jiān bǎng, , guò yī huì, ér , tā xiàng tǔ qì le shí mó, sì de , xiào le:“ xiào!

Wu Sun - fu shrugged his shoulders; after a moment's pause he laughed and spat out, " Hah!
5
王妈捧着燕窝粥进来, 吴荪甫也没觉得.

wáng mā pěng zháo yàn wō zhōu jìn lái, , wú sūn fǔ yě méi jué.

The maid , Wang Mah , came in with a bowl of bird's - nest gruel for him.

Cultural Notes for 荪

🏮Cultural insight

In traditional Chinese culture, fragrant plants like 荪 are often associated with harmony and beauty, and they appear in classical poetry as symbols of nature's elegance.

Word Family of 荪

Words Containing This Character1
荪sūnfragrant grass蓀
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 荪 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 荪

No, 荪 is more often found in literary or poetic contexts rather than in everyday speech.