Kiokun Logo
🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

grass

HSK 2 N2
cǎo
ソウ
くさ、くさ-、-ぐさ
Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 早 represents the sound.
Components
Meaning component
cao grass (top)
grass
艹 is a component form of 艸.
View phonetic series →
Phonetic component
zǎo early
View phonetic series →
Notes
Historical Evolution
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Regular
Modern
Chinese
[cǎo]
grass; straw; manuscript; draft (of a document); careless; rough; CL:棵[kē],撮[zuǒ],株[zhū],根[gēn]
[cào]
variant of 肏[cào]
Japanese
(rare) くさ 同音
  1. noun grass; weed; herb; thatch
  2. noun archaic ninja
  3. noun slang marijuana; cannabis
  4. prefix not genuine; substandard
  5. exp. net-sl LOL; haha (from multiple repetitions of "w" ("LOL") resembling grass: wwwwww)
そう 同音

noun

  1. draft; rough copy
  2. abbrev. highly cursive style (of writing Chinese characters); grass style
そう 同音
  1. nounadj-na vibrancy; strength; bravery; manliness
  2. nounadj-na one's prime (around age 30; esp. of a man)
  3. counter counter for cones or sticks of moxa burned on the skin (in moxibustion) (also written as 草)
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
かや
Kaya female given name
くさ
Kusa surname
くさざき
Kusazaki surname
くさなぎ
Kusanagi surname
くさやぎ
Kusayagi surname
くさやなぎ
Kusayanagi surname
したがき
Shitagaki surname
そう
Sou female given name
そうじ
Souji unclassified name
はじめ
Hajime female given name