草
grass; herb; straw
cǎo
What does 草 mean?
草 (cǎo) is the noun for 'grass' — the green plant covering lawns, meadows, and fields. It extends to mean any small green plant (herbs, weeds) and appears in many compounds: 草地 (lawn / grassland), 草原 (grassland / prairie), 草莓 (strawberry, literally 'grass berry'). Two differences from English: first, 草 in Chinese covers a wider range of small plants than English 'grass' — it can suggest weeds, herbs, or any low-growing vegetation; second, the measure word matters.
For a single blade, use 棵 or 根; for an expanse of grass, use 片. A common sign in Chinese parks reads 请勿踏草 (please do not step on the grass). The character 草 itself appears as the radical 艹 at the top of many plant-related characters (花, 茶, 菜), so recognizing 草 helps you read many other words.
Character breakdown
grass; herb; plant
Memory hook: The top of 草 is the grass radical 艹 — two little sprouts coming up from the soil.
Measure word for 草
Example sentences
公园里的草很绿。
Gōngyuán lǐ de cǎo hěn lǜ.
The grass in the park is very green.
neutral
请不要在草地上走。
Qǐng búyào zài cǎodì shàng zǒu.
Please don't walk on the lawn.
polite
小狗在草地上跑来跑去。
Xiǎo gǒu zài cǎodì shàng pǎo lái pǎo qù.
The puppy is running around on the grass.
spoken
春天到了，小草都绿了。
Chūntiān dào le, xiǎo cǎo dōu lǜ le.
Spring has arrived — the little grass is all green.
neutral
Common phrases with 草
Synonyms
草地 means a 'grass-covered area / lawn,' emphasizing the place. 草 is the plant itself. You sit on 草地 (the lawn) but you pick a piece of 草 (the grass).
Don't confuse 草 with
花 means 'flower' — both share the grass radical 艹 at the top. 花 is colorful and decorative; 草 is green and humble.
茶 means 'tea.' Shares the grass radical 艹 with 草 because tea leaves are plants. Different sound, different meaning.
早 means 'morning / early' and looks somewhat similar to 草 (both have the 日 / 十 element on top)