味wèi

味

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

味 (wèi, "taste") appears identical in simplified and traditional scripts — the mouth radical (口) paired with 未, an ancient character depicting a leaf just beginning to unfurl, captures how flavor unfolds on the tongue. This same 未 component appears in 妹 (younger sister), 媚 (charming), and 寐 (to sleep), hinting at something subtle and emerging.

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Shuowen

味 (wèi). The character 味 is composed of a mouth (口) and the phonetic element 未 (a sprouting grain), originally representing the sensation of tasting something; the combination of mouth and a young shoot conveys the idea of flavor.

Pinyin

wèi· HSK 2

味wèi

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin