苣 (jù): (in 莴苣) lettuce

Meanings

我在市场买了一棵莴苣。

Wǒ zài shìchǎng mǎi le yì kē wōjù.

I bought a head of lettuce at the market.

莴苣可以生吃也可以清炒。

Wōjù kěyǐ shēngchī yě kěyǐ qīngchǎo.

Lettuce can be eaten raw or stir-fried.

usage

Read 苣 in 莴苣 (lettuce), the everyday vegetable. A separate reading qǔ is used only in the plant name 苣荬菜 (a kind of sowthistle).

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

Top 艹 is the grass radical 艸 in top form. It marks 苣 as a leafy plant — lettuce.

phonetic

巨 jù

huge; phonetic

Below sits 巨 supplying the sound exactly (jù = jù). The same phonetic anchors 距 (distance) and 拒 (to refuse).

苣 jù