Definitions

méi (noun) berry; strawberry

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 莓 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic radical 艹 (grass) at the top indicating its botanical nature. The component 每 (měi) below serves as the phonetic element, guiding the character's pronunciation. This formation was created to denote small, fleshy fruits from creeping plants or low shrubs, corresponding to the English "berry". In modern usage, it primarily functions as a building block in compound words for specific fruits, like 草莓 (strawberry) and 蓝莓 (blueberry).

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃草

Wǒ xǐhuān chī cǎoméi.

I like to eat strawberries.

是水果。

Lánméi shì shuǐguǒ.

Blueberries are fruits.

她买了些黑

Tā mǎi le xiē hēiméi.

She bought some blackberries.

这些子很新鲜。

Zhèxiē méizi hěn xīnxiān.

These berries are very fresh.

和蓝都好吃。

Cǎoméi hé lánméi dōu hǎochī.

Strawberries and blueberries are both delicious.

早上我吃了果沙拉。

Zǎoshang wǒ chī le méiguǒ shālā.

In the morning, I ate a berry salad.

这种类植物需要阳光。

Zhè zhǒng méilèi zhíwù xūyào yángguāng.

This kind of berry plant needs sunlight.

我们在森林里采摘野生

Wǒmen zài sēnlín lǐ cǎizhāi yěshēng méi.

We picked wild berries in the forest.