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菁 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
菁jīngturnip; a flower of the leek familyzg, 11 strokes, radical 艹, rank #50342, Very Hard
菁jīngleek flowerunknown, 11 strokes, radical 艹, rank #50342, Very Hard
菁jīnglushunknown, 11 strokes, radical 艹, rank #50342, Very Hard
菁jīngluxuriantunknown, 11 strokes, radical 艹, rank #50342, Very Hard
jīng(jing1) T1
  1. 1turnip; a flower of the leek family
  2. 2leek flower
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

菁jīng(jing1)

The character 菁 (jīng) primarily refers to a type of flowering plant belonging to the leek family, particularly known for its lush and luxuriant growth. It can also describe the vibrant and rich qualities of plants or nature in general, often used in poetic or descriptive contexts.

Strokes11Radical艹Frequency#50342DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, lush vegetation and flowers are often symbols of prosperity and beauty, reflecting the importance of nature in poetry and art. 菁 embodies this cultural reverence for plants, especially in springtime celebrations.

Memory Tip

Imagine a green leek (the plant associated with 菁) growing abundantly in a lush garden. The character has the '艹' radical at the top, which signifies plants, and the bottom part '青' suggests the color green, hinting at the freshness and vitality of lush vegetation.

Meanings of 菁

jīng(jing1)
1turnip; a flower of the leek family
2leek flower
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 菁

菁Simplified
11Strokes
艹Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 菁

JasonAmy

Podcast: 菁

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AI Study Notes for 菁

Quick Contrast

菁 (jīng) vs 荷 (hé) — use 菁 when referring to lush, vibrant plants, while 荷 specifically denotes lotus plants.

Usage Notes

While 菁 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, it appears in literary or botanical contexts. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words and note that it is more formal, often associated with descriptions of nature or beauty.

HSK Study Tips

Although 菁 is not part of the HSK vocabulary lists, it connects to the HSK level 3 word '绿' (lǜ), meaning green. Students should focus on recognizing plant-related vocabulary and its descriptive qualities, enhancing their botanical terminology.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistake 菁 for other plant-related characters like 蔥 (cōng, onion), leading to confusion. It's important to remember that 菁 specifically refers to leeks and their flowers, not just any green plant.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 菁

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Etymology of 菁

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 青 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

plant

Semantic (meaning)艹
+
Phonetic (sound)青
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 菁

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 青 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half艹 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half青 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayplant
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 菁? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 菁?

Decomposition of 菁

IDS Structure⿱艹青
菁Full Character
=
艹cao3
top
青Qing1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 菁?

How to say turnip; a flower of the leek family in Chinese

“turnip; a flower of the leek family” in Chinese is菁jīng

The character 菁 (jīng) primarily refers to a type of flowering plant belonging to the leek family, particularly known for its lush and luxuriant growth. It can also describe the vibrant and rich qualities of plants or nature in general, often used in poetic or descriptive contexts.

When to use 菁

While 菁 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, it appears in literary or botanical contexts. Learners should avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words and note that it is more formal, often associated with descriptions of nature or beauty.

菁 or something close to it

菁 (jīng) vs 荷 (hé) — use 菁 when referring to lush, vibrant plants, while 荷 specifically denotes lotus plants.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistake 菁 for other plant-related characters like 蔥 (cōng, onion), leading to confusion. It's important to remember that 菁 specifically refers to leeks and their flowers, not just any green plant.

Write 菁

菁

Practice writing 菁 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 菁

Words Containing This Character5
菁jīnglush
芜菁turnip蕪菁
菁华the cream菁華
去芜存菁lit. to get rid of the weeds and keep the flowers去蕪存菁
蔓菁turnip
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 菁 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 菁

The correct pinyin for 菁 is jīng.

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