楚 is most commonly seen in 清楚 (qīngchǔ, clear/clearly) and 痛楚 (tòngchǔ, pain/anguish). Historically, 楚 was the name of an ancient Chinese kingdom (楚国 Chǔguó).
culture
楚 was a powerful state during the Warring States period. The expression 四面楚歌 (sìmiàn chǔgē, 'Chu songs on all sides') means to be surrounded by enemies.
林 (forest) on top originally pictured the thorny chastetree groves of southern China — 楚 first named a particular bramble. From 'thorn,' it became the name of the great southern state of Chu, and the sharp-clarity meaning 'clear, distinct' extended later. Indexed under Kangxi #75 木 (mù) via the tree-pair visibly forming this top component.
疋 supplies the sound, drifting from shū to chǔ — a sh-/ch- alternation attested in old Chinese. Same phonetic appears in 楚 chǔ, 礎 chǔ (foundation, simplified 础). No semantic role for 疋 here; pure sound.
Filed under radical 木 (mù, #75) by convention. 木 is not a separate component in 楚, so no strokes are highlighted.
