海葵 (hǎi kuí) — sea anemone

Definition

noun
sea anemone
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 海葵。
    Wǒ zài hǎi biān kàn dào le yì zhī hǎi kuí.
    I saw a sea anemone at the seaside.
  • 海葵。
    Zhè zhǒng hǎi kuí de yán sè fēi cháng piào liang.
    This kind of sea anemone has very beautiful colors.
  • 海葵。
    Shuǐ zú guǎn lǐ yǒu hěn duō bù tóng zhǒng lèi de hǎi kuí.
    There are many different kinds of sea anemones in the aquarium.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

海hǎisea
葵kuímallow

海 places it in the sea, and 葵 likens it to a mallow-like flower.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
癸
癸guǐ葵kuí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

葵 uses 艹 (grass, plant) to show it is a kind of plant and 癸 to give its sound.

Open 葵 →

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