Onyomi: ソウ · Kunyomi: -ぐさ, くさ, くさ- · Meanings: draft, grass, herbs, pasture, weeds, write
Kanji for draft, grass, herbs, pasture, weeds
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The kanji 草 is made from two parts: 艹 (grass or plant) on top and 早 (early, sun rising) underneath. The top part, 艹, shows plants or vegetation, and the bottom part, 早, represents the morning sun rising early. Together, they create the image of grass and plants growing quickly in the morning sunlight. Over time, 草 came to mean “grass,” “plants,” or “herbs.”
Made from 艹(grass) and 早(early sun). It shows grass growing early in the sunlight — meaning grass or plant.
This kanji says: under the early morning sun (早), the grass (艹) grows fast and fresh — 草 means grass or plants. Remember it by picturing morning dew shining on new green grass.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 草 | くさ | grass, weed, herb, thatch | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 草 | そう | draft, rough copy | Noun |
| 壮 | そう | vibrancy, strength, bravery, manliness | Noun, Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 草花 | くさばな | flower, flowering plant | common Noun |
| 草原 | そうげん | grassy field, grassland, meadow | common Noun |
| 綿 | わた | cotton plant (Gossypium spp.) | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 草地 | くさち | grassland, meadow | Noun |
| 草臥れる | くたびれる | to get tired, to become exhausted, to grow weary | common JLPT-N2 JLPT-N1 Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 草履 | ぞうり | zori, traditional Japanese thonged sandals | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 草案 | そうあん | draft (for a speech, bill, etc.) | common Noun |