Definitions

suī coriander

Etymology phono-semantic

herb

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a specialized character created for the herb coriander (cilantro), used almost exclusively in the compound 芫荽 (yánsuī). The grass radical atop signals its botanical nature, while the element (tuǒ) below indicates the pronunciation suī. The character was coined when the plant was introduced from western regions in ancient times; as a straightforward phonetic loan, it has no other senses or figurative uses.