Chinese symbol for “brambles”
荆棘
jīng jí
Traditional: 荊棘
thistles and thorns; brambles; thorny undergrowth
The closest CC-CEDICT match for brambles is 荆棘 (jīng jí), defined as: thistles and thorns; brambles; thorny undergrowth.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Related words
Other words that share a character with 荆棘.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 紫荆 (紫荊) | zǐ jīng | Chinese redbud (Cercis chinensis) |
| 披荆斩棘 (披荊斬棘) | pī jīng zhǎn jí | lit. to cut one's way through thistles and thorns (idiom); fig. to overcome all obstacles on the way |
| 荆芥 (荊芥) | jīng jiè | schizonepeta, herb used in Chinese medicine |
| 负荆请罪 (負荊請罪) | fù jīng qǐng zuì | lit. to bring a bramble and ask for punishment (idiom); fig. to offer sb a humble apology |
| 问荆 (問荊) | wèn jīng | field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) |
| 棘手 | jí shǒu | thorny (problem); intractable |
| 沙棘 | shā jí | (botany) sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) |
| 棘轮 (棘輪) | jí lún | ratchet |
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.