HSK 3, n, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cǎo
manuscript
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cǎo
draft (of a document)
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cǎo
careless
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cǎo
rough
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cào
grass, herbs; straw, thatch
HSK 3, n, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cào
manuscript
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cào
draft (of a document)
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cào
careless
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
草
cào
rough
HSK 3, unknown, 9 strokes, radical 艹, rank #3001, Medium
cǎo(cao3)
primary
T3
1grass, herbs; straw, thatch
2manuscript
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March 24, 2026
草(艸)cǎo(cao3)
草 (cǎo) primarily means 'grass' or 'herbs' and is commonly used to refer to various types of vegetation. It can also denote 'straw' or 'thatch' used in roofs, and in a figurative sense, it may imply something rough or careless, often used in colloquial expressions. In writing, it can refer to a draft or manuscript as well.
Strokes9Radical艹Frequency#3001DifficultyMedium
Cultural Note
In traditional Chinese culture, grass (草) represents vitality and growth, often appearing in poetry and art. Additionally, herbal medicine, which often uses various types of grass and herbs, plays a significant role in Chinese health practices.
Memory Tip
Imagine a vast field of grass (草) swaying gently in the wind. The character looks like blades of grass growing together, which can help you remember that it means grass. The pronunciation 'cǎo' rhymes with 'how'—so picture asking, 'How does this grass grow?'
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AI Study Notes for 草
Quick Contrast
草 (cǎo) vs 叶 (yè, leaf) — choose 草 when referring to grass or herbs, while 叶 specifically denotes leaves.
Usage Notes
Learners might confuse 草 with similar sounding characters like 肏 (cào) due to tonal differences; remember that 草 is pronounced with a low rising tone (cǎo). This character is often used in informal contexts, especially when discussing nature or everyday objects, and collocates well with words describing landscapes or types of plants.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 3 word, 草 connects with other basic vocabulary related to nature and the environment. Focus on memorizing its usage in phrases and how it combines with other words to describe plants or qualities, such as '草地' (cǎodì - grassland) or '草药' (cǎoyào - herbal medicine).
Common Mistakes
Learners often mistakenly use the wrong tone, saying 'cào' instead of 'cǎo', which changes the meaning completely. For example, saying '我在草' (wǒ zài cào) would incorrectly imply something vulgar; the correct phrase should be '我在草地' (wǒ zài cǎodì - I am on the grass).
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 草
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Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 早 represents the sound.
1The meaning half艹 carries the sense.
2The sound half早 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawaygrass
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 草? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 草?
Decomposition of 草
IDS Structure⿱艹早
草Full Character
=
艹cao3
top
早zao3
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 草?
How to say grass, herbs; straw, thatch in Chinese
“grass, herbs; straw, thatch” in Chinese is草cǎo
草 (cǎo) primarily means 'grass' or 'herbs' and is commonly used to refer to various types of vegetation. It can also denote 'straw' or 'thatch' used in roofs, and in a figurative sense, it may imply something rough or careless, often used in colloquial expressions. In writing, it can refer to a draft or manuscript as well.
When to use 草
Learners might confuse 草 with similar sounding characters like 肏 (cào) due to tonal differences; remember that 草 is pronounced with a low rising tone (cǎo). This character is often used in informal contexts, especially when discussing nature or everyday objects, and collocates well with words describing landscapes or types of plants.
草 or something close to it
草 (cǎo) vs 叶 (yè, leaf) — choose 草 when referring to grass or herbs, while 叶 specifically denotes leaves.
What learners get wrong
Learners often mistakenly use the wrong tone, saying 'cào' instead of 'cǎo', which changes the meaning completely. For example, saying '我在草' (wǒ zài cào) would incorrectly imply something vulgar; the correct phrase should be '我在草地' (wǒ zài cǎodì - I am on the grass).
Write 草
草
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Practice writing 草 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar Patterns of 草
草 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 5 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
As the equipment was unpacked, I led Lee around the overgrown garden.
Cultural Notes for 草
💡Did you know?
草 (cǎo) is not just grass! In Chinese culture, it also represents growth and renewal, often used in poetry to symbolize vitality, especially in spring.
Word Family of 草
Words Containing This Character20
草cǎograss
草案cǎo’àndraft (legislation, proposal etc)
草莓strawberry
草坪cǎopínglawn
烟草tobacco煙草
草原cǎoyuángrassland
草地cǎodìlawn
起草qǐcǎoto make a draft
香草vanilla
草根grassroots
草率cǎoshuàicareless
稻草dàocǎorice straw
草药herbal medicine草藥
草图a sketch草圖
杂草weeds雜草
草草carelessly
甘草licorice root
花草flowers and plants
草丛underbrush草叢
草稿draft
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
What does 草 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 草
Common phrases include '草地' (cǎodì, grassland) and '草稿' (cǎogǎo, draft). Another phrase is '草率' (cǎoshuài), which means 'careless' or 'hasty'. These phrases illustrate the versatile use of the character in different contexts.
草 (cǎo) means 'grass' or 'straw', while 草稿 (cǎogǎo) specifically means 'draft' or 'manuscript'. The first term refers to a natural object, whereas the second term is related to writing or documents.
You can use 草 (cǎo) in a sentence like '这片草地非常美' (This patch of grass is very beautiful). It can also be used in a more abstract sense, such as in '他写的草稿需要修改' (The draft he wrote needs revision).
草 (cǎo) primarily means 'grass' or 'straw' in Chinese. It can also refer to a 'manuscript' or 'draft' of a document. Additionally, it can describe something that is 'careless' or 'rough'.
Some common phrases include '草地' (cǎodì - grassland) and '草药' (cǎoyào - herbal medicine).
草 is specifically associated with grass and vegetation, while characters like 肏 (cào) refer to vulgar meanings. The tonal pronunciation is crucial to avoid confusion.
While 草 is more common in informal contexts, it can appear in formal writing when discussing topics related to nature or agriculture.
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