芽

yá

牙 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

yá (noun) sprout; bud

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 牙 represents the sound.

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 牙

About

The character 芽 is formed as a phonosemantic compound. The upper component 艹, meaning "grass" or "vegetation", places it in the plant category, and the lower component 牙, "tooth", supplies the sound. At the same time, 牙 evokes the image of a sharp new sprout pushing up through the soil, much like a tooth breaking through the gum. The primary meaning is a bud, sprout, or young shoot, and it is often used metaphorically for the initial or embryonic stage of something.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小草发芽了。

Xiǎo cǎo fāyá le.

The grass has sprouted.

树上的新芽很嫩。

Shù shàng de xīnyá hěn nèn.

The new buds on the tree are very tender.

豆芽是一种常见的蔬菜。

Dòuyá shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn de shūcài.

Bean sprouts are a common vegetable.

春天里，植物都开始发芽。

Chūntiān lǐ, zhíwù dōu kāishǐ fāyá.

In spring, plants all begin to sprout.

这些种子在温暖的环境中迅速发芽。

Zhèxiē zhǒngzi zài wēnnuǎn de huánjìng zhōng xùnsù fāyá.

These seeds sprout quickly in a warm environment.

农民们等待雨水让庄稼发芽。

Nóngmín men děngdài yǔshuǐ ràng zhuāngjia fāyá.

Farmers wait for the rain to make the crops sprout.

尽管天气寒冷，但一些植物依然发出了嫩芽。

Jǐnguǎn tiānqì hánlěng, dàn yīxiē zhíwù yīrán fāchū le nènyá.

Despite the cold weather, some plants still sent out tender buds.

通过精心照料，这些稀有植物的种子终于成功发芽了。

Tōngguò jīngxīn zhàoliào, zhèxiē xīyǒu zhíwù de zhǒngzi zhōngyú chénggōng fāyá le.

Through careful care, the seeds of these rare plants finally sprouted successfully.

Related Characters

Component: 牙

Component: 艹

芽