Definitions

zǎo aquatic grasses; elegant

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "藻" is structured with the grass radical (艹) above the phonetic component "澡", which itself is composed of water (氵) and "喿". This construction originally denoted aquatic plants, specifically algae or water weeds, aligning the semantic radical with its botanical nature. Over time, the term's meaning expanded beyond physical vegetation to encompass literary ornamentation, as evident in classical compounds where it refers to ornate diction or decorative language. The character's form has remained consistent without a simplified variant, and its components continue to signal both its plant-related etymology and its phonetic value.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

生长在海里。

Hǎizǎo shēngzhǎng zài hǎi lǐ.

Seaweed grows in the sea.

池塘里有很多绿

Chítáng lǐ yǒu hěn duō lǜzǎo.

There is a lot of green algae in the pond.

类植物非常古老。

Zǎolèi zhíwù fēichāng gǔlǎo.

Algae are very ancient plants.

科学家正在研究这些类。

Kēxuéjiā zhèngzài yánjiū zhèxiē zǎolèi.

Scientists are researching these algae.

富含多种营养物质。

Hǎizǎo fùhán duō zhǒng yíngyǎng wùzhì.

Seaweed is rich in various nutrients.

这片水域发生了蓝水华。

Zhè piàn shuǐyù fāshēngle lánzǎo shuǐhuá.

A blue-green algae bloom has occurred in this water body.

类的过度繁殖会污染水源。

Zǎolèi de guòdù fánzhí huì wūrǎn shuǐyuán.

Excessive proliferation of algae can pollute water sources.

他们正在探索类生产生物燃料的潜力。

Tāmen zhèngzài tànsuǒ zǎolèi shēngchǎn shēngwù ránliào de qiánlì.

They are exploring the potential of algae for producing biofuel.