草
草 (cǎo) means “grass”. It is made of 艹 + 早 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 草 into its parts
What 草 is made of
- 艹 cǎo — grass
- 早 zǎo — early
- 日 rì — sun; day
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 日 rì — sun; day
Origin hint: 艹 gives the meaning, 早 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
草 stroke order
Example sentences
地上有很多草。Dì shang yǒu hěn duō cǎo.There's a lot of grass on the ground.
春天草变绿了。Chūntiān cǎo biàn lǜ le.In spring the grass turns green.
Words with 草
Also built with 艹
- 劳láoto labor
- 艺yìart
- 节jiémeasure word for classes
- 芒mángblade
- 花huāflower
- 芽yábud
- 苍cāngdark blue
- 苏sūto awaken
- 苗miáosprouts
- 苟gǒucareless
- 若ruòif
- 苦kǔbitter
Quick facts
| Pinyin | cǎo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | grass |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 艸 (grass, #140) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 草
What does 草 mean?
草 (cǎo) means “grass”.
How many strokes does 草 have?
草 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 草?
The radical of 草 is 艸 (cǎo, “grass”), Kangxi radical number 140.
What parts make up 草?
草 is made of 艹 (grass) and 早 (early).
Which HSK level is 草?
草 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 草 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 50: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.