芽

yá

牙 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

yá (noun) sprout; bud

Etymology

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

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 牙

About

As a phono-semantic compound, 芽 uses the semantic radical 艹 (grass/vegetation) to place it in the plant category. The lower component 牙 (tooth) serves mainly as the phonetic element, while also offering a visual metaphor for new growth. The structure evokes the early stage of a plant, comparing a sharp shoot breaking through soil to an emerging tooth. Its core meaning has consistently referred to biological buds, sprouts, and young shoots, and is occasionally extended metaphorically to signify the embryonic stage of any new development.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小草发芽了。

Xiǎo cǎo fāyá le.

The grass has sprouted.

树上的新芽很嫩。

Shù shàng de xīnyá hěn nèn.

The new buds on the tree are very tender.

豆芽是一种常见的蔬菜。

Dòuyá shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn de shūcài.

Bean sprouts are a common vegetable.

春天里，植物都开始发芽。

Chūntiān lǐ, zhíwù dōu kāishǐ fāyá.

In spring, plants all begin to sprout.

这些种子在温暖的环境中迅速发芽。

Zhèxiē zhǒngzi zài wēnnuǎn de huánjìng zhōng xùnsù fāyá.

These seeds sprout quickly in a warm environment.

农民们等待雨水让庄稼发芽。

Nóngmín men děngdài yǔshuǐ ràng zhuāngjia fāyá.

Farmers wait for the rain to make the crops sprout.

尽管天气寒冷，但一些植物依然发出了嫩芽。

Jǐnguǎn tiānqì hánlěng, dàn yīxiē zhíwù yīrán fāchū le nènyá.

Despite the cold weather, some plants still sent out tender buds.

通过精心照料，这些稀有植物的种子终于成功发芽了。

Tōngguò jīngxīn zhàoliào, zhèxiē xīyǒu zhíwù de zhǒngzi zhōngyú chénggōng fāyá le.

Through careful care, the seeds of these rare plants finally sprouted successfully.

Related Characters

Component: 牙

Component: 艹

芽