About
蕨 is a phono-semantic compound. The grass radical 艹 at the top provides the semantic category, indicating a plant. The lower component 厥 (jué) is purely phonetic, giving the character its pronunciation. The character refers to the bracken fern, a coarse, non-flowering plant that reproduces by spores. Its young, coiled fronds have historically been foraged and eaten as a wild vegetable.
Etymology Hide
