萌

méng

明 + 艹

Definitions

méng (verb) to sprout; to bud

méng (adjective) cute; adorable

Etymology

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

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 明

About

The character 萌 is a phono-semantic compound: the grass radical 艹 at the top gives the botanical meaning, while the lower component 明 (bright) indicates the pronunciation. Traditionally it refers to plants budding, germinating, or sprouting new shoots. In a notable contemporary shift, 萌 was adopted to translate Japanese internet slang and is now widely used online to describe someone or something overwhelmingly cute.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这只小猫很萌。

Zhè zhǐ xiǎo māo hěn méng.

This little cat is very cute.

她的笑容特别萌。

Tā de xiàoróng tèbié méng.

Her smile is especially cute.

春天植物都萌发了。

Chūntiān zhíwù dōu méngfā le.

In spring, plants all sprout.

种子在土壤中萌芽。

Zhǒngzi zài tǔrǎng zhōng méng yá.

Seeds sprout in the soil.

孩子们萌生了新想法。

Háizimen méngshēng le xīn xiǎngfǎ.

The children conceived new ideas.

这部电影里的角色很萌。

Zhè bù diànyǐng lǐ de juésè hěn méng.

The characters in this movie are very cute.

那个动漫人物设计得超级萌。

Nàge dòngmàn rénwù shèjì dé chāojí méng.

That anime character is designed to be super cute.

他看到小狗时萌生了养宠物的念头。

Tā kàn dào xiǎo gǒu shí méngshēng le yǎng chǒngwù de niàntou.

When he saw the puppy, he conceived the idea of keeping a pet.

Related Characters

Component: 明

Component: 艹

萌