槐

huái

noun #40,315

Meanings

1 Chinese scholar tree (Sophora japonica)
2 pagoda tree

Characters

槐

huái

scholar tree

Examples

HSK 4

五月槐花开，满街都是香味。

Wǔyuè huái huā kāi, mǎn jiē dōu shì xiāngwèi.

In May the scholar trees bloom and the whole street smells sweet.

HSK 5

院门口长着一棵老槐树。

Yuàn ménkǒu zhǎng zhe yì kē lǎo huáishù.

There is an old scholar tree growing in front of the courtyard gate.

Tips

culture

The 槐树 (scholar tree) is a classic northern street tree; its fragrant white blossoms are even eaten. In old texts the tree symbolized high office and the imperial court.

Components

radical

木 mù

tree; wood

The tree radical. 槐 names a specific species, so the wood radical plants it firmly in the tree family alongside 松, 柳 and 桐.

phonetic

鬼 guǐ

ghost

Provides the sound; guǐ shifted to huái. The ghost meaning does not carry into the tree, but the eerie image makes the reading easy to remember.

Stroke Order

槐 huái

槐