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艹

cǎo
noun #30,642

Meanings

  1. 1 grass radical (草字头)
  2. 2 (internet slang) substitute for the vulgar 操 (cào, 'fuck'); expresses surprise, frustration or excitement

Examples

艹是花、草、菜等字的部首。
Cǎo shì huā, cǎo, cài děng zì de bùshǒu.
艹 is the radical of characters like 花 (flower), 草 (grass), 菜 (vegetable).
艹，这操作太骚了！
Cǎo, zhè cāozuò tài sāo le!
Damn, that move was sick! (internet slang)

Tips

usage
Two completely different uses. (1) As a printing radical 艹 ('grass top', 草字头) sits atop 花, 草, 茶, 菜 and many plant-related characters. (2) On the Chinese internet 艹 is a censor-friendly stand-in for the homophone 操 (cào, 'fuck') — a pseudo-polite exclamation of shock or admiration. The internet sense is mildly vulgar, much milder than 操 itself.
memory
The shape is two grass tufts side-by-side — originally written 艸 (two 屮 'sprouts'), simplified to the four-stroke 艹 we see in modern fonts.

Stroke Order

艹 cǎo