薯

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potato; yam

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

艹 meaning “plant” + 署 sound ( shǔ )

Components 艹署

yam · Heisig RSH #2303

flower + 署 add your John Hancock

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
当官不为民做主不如回家卖红薯	dāng guān bù wèi mín zuò zhǔ bù rú huí jiā mài hóng shǔ	if an official does not put the people first, he might as well go home and sell sweet pota…
白薯	bái shǔ	sweet potato
豆薯属	dòu shǔ shǔ	yam bean; Pachyrhizus genus
红薯	hóng shǔ	sweet potato
炸薯球	zhà shǔ qiú	tater tot
木薯	mù shǔ	cassava, a tropical tuber plant
鱼薯	yú shǔ	fish and chips (abbr. for 炸魚薯條\|炸鱼薯条[zha2 yu2 shu3 tiao2])
马铃薯泥	mǎ líng shǔ ní	mashed potato
炸薯片	zhá shǔ piàn	potato chip
炸薯条	zhá shǔ tiáo	french fries
薯片	shǔ piàn	fried potato chips
薯条	shǔ tiáo	french fries; french fried potatoes; chips
马铃薯	mǎ líng shǔ	potato
麻薯	má shǔ	variant of 麻糬[ma2 shu3]
豆薯	dòu shǔ	yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus), a vine with sweet edible root
种薯	zhǒng shǔ	seed tuber
木薯淀粉	mù shǔ diàn fěn	tapioca
参薯	shēn shǔ	Dioscorea alata (Kinampay or aromatic purple yam, a sweet root crop)
薯泥	shǔ ní	mashed potato
甘薯	gān shǔ	sweet potato; Ipomoea batatas

Characters sharing the sound component 署 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
署 sound part	shǔ	bureau, public office; to sign
曙	shǔ	dawn, daybreak; the dawn of an era
糬	shǔ	sticky rice; mochi