芽 meaning and stroke order
Bud; sprout
How to write 芽, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 芽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bud
- sprout
How 芽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 牙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 芽
The grass radical 艹 on top says this is a plant, and 牙 (yá, tooth) below gives the sound. Picture a tiny green shoot poking out of the soil like a little tooth breaking through the gums.
芽 usually appears inside words rather than alone, most often 发芽 (fāyá, to sprout) and 萌芽 (méngyá, to germinate), which can also mean something is just beginning. Example: 种子发芽了。(Zhǒngzi fāyá le.) The seeds have sprouted.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write just 牙 and forget the 艹 on top, which turns "sprout" into "tooth". Also keep the second tone yá. Do not confuse it with 芝 (zhī) or 茅 (máo), which share the grass top but have different bottoms.
Common words with 芽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
芽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 芽
How many strokes are in 芽?
芽 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 芽 mean?
芽 (yá) means bud; sprout. A common word with it is 萌芽 (méngyá), meaning "(of a seed) to germinate; (of a plant) to sprout; to bud".
How do you pronounce 芽?
芽 is pronounced yá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 芽?
The radical of 芽 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 芽 under this radical.
Is 芽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 芽 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say bean sprouts in Chinese?
Bean sprouts are 豆芽 (dòuyá), often called 豆芽菜 (dòuyácài) on menus. Mung bean sprouts are 绿豆芽 (lǜdòuyá).
Can 萌芽 be used for ideas, not just plants?
Yes. 萌芽 can describe the early stage of an idea or movement, as in 把问题消灭在萌芽状态 (bǎ wèntí xiāomiè zài méngyá zhuàngtài), to nip a problem in the bud.