芽 yá bud
bud; shoot; sprout
How to remember 芽: 艹 grass + 牙 tooth = bud. Something pokes out of the grass like a baby tooth, and Dad smiles at the garden's very first bud.
Component breakdown
芽 = 艹 grass + 牙 tooth
- 艹 grass
- 牙 tooth
Something pokes out of the grass like a baby tooth, and Dad smiles at the garden's very first bud.
How it is used
- A bud/sprout - 发芽 (fāyá) to germinate, 萌芽 (méngyá) to sprout (also figurative: 思想的萌芽 the first stirrings of an idea), 豆芽 (dòuyá) bean sprouts, 嫩芽 (nènyá) tender shoot.
- Carries the sense of a small new beginning that can grow.