How to Write 芽 (yá) — Meaning “Bud; sprout”

Think of a baby plant pushing out of the soil like a small tooth — the top 艹 is the grass, and the 牙 (tooth) below reminds you that a sprout looks like a tiny white tooth. Since 芽 and 牙 share the same pronunciation (yá), you can remember "a tooth-shaped sprout."

Write the top radical 艹 first: one horizontal stroke, then two short vertical strokes (left then right). Then write 牙 below: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, and finally a left-falling stroke (丿). A common mistake is making the bottom stroke of 牙 too long or turning it into a hook — it should be a straight diagonal leftward stroke.

Unlike 芽 (bud/sprout), 兹 is not plant-related — it means "this" or "now" and has 玄 (mysterious) below the grass radical. 艻 is a very rare character with 力 (power) under 艹, meaning a type of vine or grass; it is almost never used in daily life. 芽 is common in cooking and gardening contexts, especially in words like 豆芽 (bean sprouts) and 发芽 (to germinate).

芽 appears in everyday words about plants growing, such as 发芽 (fā yá, to sprout) and 嫩芽 (nèn yá, tender bud). It is also a key ingredient name: 豆芽 (dòu yá, bean sprouts) is a popular food in Chinese stir-fries and soups. Culturally, 芽 can symbolize new life and beginnings, often used in poetry or spring-related phrases like 萌芽 (méng yá, to bud / to start).

Common words containing 芽 include: 发芽 (fā yá) — to sprout; to germinate; 豆芽 (dòu yá) — bean sprouts; 嫩芽 (nèn yá) — tender bud; young sprout.