菰 (gū): Manchurian wild rice (water pla…

Meanings

菰生长在浅水里，茎可食用。

Gū shēngzhǎng zài qiǎnshuǐ lǐ, jīng kě shíyòng.

Wild rice grows in shallow water and bears edible stems.

这道菜是茭白炒肉。

Zhè dào cài shì jiāobái chǎo ròu.

The dish was stir-fried water-bamboo shoots with pork.

culture

菰 is the wild-rice plant; its swollen stem is the vegetable 茭白. It can also be written for 菇 (mushroom).

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

The grass radical, top form of 草, marks 菰 as a plant, here an aquatic grass.

phonetic

孤 gū

alone; orphaned

Supplies the sound gū exactly. It is the same character seen standing alone as 孤.

菰 gū