楸 (qiū) · Catalpa (a type of deciduous tree), Mallotus japonicus

Measure Word

一棵楸 kē

Meanings

1 Catalpa (a type of deciduous tree)
2 Mallotus japonicus

Characters

楸

qiū

Catalpa tree; a hardwood tree

Examples

HSK 4

院子里种了几棵楸树，秋天开白色的花。

Yuànzi lǐ zhòng le jǐ kē qiū shù, qiūtiān kāi báisè de huā.

Several Catalpa trees were planted in the yard; they bloom with white flowers in autumn.

HSK 7-9

楸树是一种高大的落叶乔木，材质优良。

Qiū shù shì yī zhǒng gāodà de luòyè qiáomù, cáizhì yōuliáng.

The Catalpa is a tall deciduous tree with excellent wood quality.

Tips

culture

楸 (Catalpa bungei) is native to China and has been cultivated for over 2,000 years. Its wood is prized for furniture, chess boards, and traditional instruments. The character appears in classical poetry.

Components

radical

木 mù

tree; wood (radical)

Left tree radical - the indexing radical. Pictures a tree with branches above and roots below. Anchors 楸 firmly in the tree-species family with 松 pine, 柏 cypress, 桐 paulownia, 槐 scholar-tree. Every Chinese tree name carries this radical, identifying 楸 as one specific species among the named woods.

phonetic

秋 qiū

autumn (here phonetic)

Right 秋 supplies the sound qiū, an exact match with no drift. The 'autumn' sense lends a faint flavour: the Catalpa bungei (楸 in modern usage) drops its leaves dramatically in fall, the canonical autumnal tree of north-China gardens. Sound and seasonal imagery interlock unusually neatly here.