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The character "菅" is structured with the grass radical (艹) positioned above the phonetic component "官", forming a phono-semantic compound that originally denoted a hardy perennial grass whose leaves were used for thatching and making ropes. Its meaning extended from the plant itself to include items constructed from it, such as thatched roofs, and the character subsequently became employed in idiomatic expressions where it conveys the notion of something being commonplace or of little value.
Etymology Hide
