Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 菖蒲
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
Acorus calamus; sweet sedge or sweet flag
蒲包pú bāocattail bag; (old) gift of fruit or pastries (traditionally presented in a cattail bag)
蒲棒pú bàngspike or male flower of cattail (Typha orientalis)
蒲鞋pú xiéstraw sandals
蒲菜pú càiedible rhizome of cattail 香蒲[xiang1 pu2]
蒲团pú tuánpraying mat (Buddhism, made of woven cattail)