The word "受精卵" is formed from three characters: 受, which means "to receive"; 精, which here refers to "sperm" or "male essence"; and 卵, which means "egg". The combination 受精 literally denotes "receiving sperm", or fertilization, and when 卵 is appended, it specifies the egg that has been fertilized, thus creating the term for "fertilized egg" or zygote.