薰 (xūn) · to smoke; to fumigate

Meanings

1 to smoke; to fumigate
2 fragrance
3 variant of 熏

Characters

薰

xūn

fumigate; fragrant grass

Examples

HSK 4

薰衣草的香味很好闻。

Xūnyīcǎo de xiāngwèi hěn hǎowén.

The scent of lavender smells wonderful.

Tips

usage

薰 and 熏 are largely interchangeable. 薰 is more literary and appears in fixed terms like 薰衣草 (lavender) and 薰陶 (positive influence).

Components

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant (top radical)

Top grass radical in compressed 3-stroke form - the indexing component, marking 薰 as a plant. Originally 薰 named a fragrant aromatic herb (薰草) used for purification; the 艹 cap announces the botanical layer that the smoking-fire imagery below works on.

phonetic

熏 xūn

to smoke; cure with smoke

Bottom 熏 supplies both the sound and the meaning - xūn straight through, no drift, plus the picture of something hung over fire (灬 at the base is fire). 薰 is essentially the plant-flavoured form of 熏: a fragrant herb burned for its smoke. Often interchangeable with 熏 in classical texts; the 艹-topped form survives in 薰衣草 lavender.