bud

sprout

grass (艹) + tooth (牙) = the sharp little sprout

The grass radical grounds this character in the plant world. 牙 lends the sound yá; the jagged shape of a tooth also evokes something small and sharp pushing upward from the earth.

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ToothPhonetic
GrassSemantic

春天来了,树上长出了新

chūn tiān lái le, shù shàng zhǎng chū le xīn yá。

Spring has come, and new buds have grown on the trees.

这颗种子已经发,需要多浇水。

zhè kē zhǒng zi yǐ jīng fā yá, xū yào duō jiāo shuǐ。

This seed has already sprouted, so it needs more watering.

Words with 芽

顶芽

dǐng yá

terminal bud (growing at the tip of a plant)

麦芽

mài yá

malt

麦芽糊精

mài yá hú jīng

maltodextrin

麦芽糖

mài yá táng

maltose (sweet syrup)

麦芽糖醇

mài yá táng chún

maltitol, a sugar alcohol

侧芽

cè yá

axillary bud

催芽

cuī yá

to induce germination of seeds (e.g. by soaking in water); to encourage sprouting of tubers or cuttings (e.g. by applying warmth or chemicals)

嫩芽

nèn yá

tender shoots

小麦胚芽

xiǎo mài pēi yá

wheat germ

新芽

xīn yá

new shoot; new sprout

月芽

yuè yá

variant of 月牙[yue4 ya2]

滋芽

zī yá

(dialect) to sprout

More characters with 艹