草cǎo
Character evolution
草
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Simplified · Today
简体
Simplified Chinese
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Shuowen
Grass. The oracle bone form depicts a cluster of grass blades; the modern character combines the grass radical 艹 with the phonetic element 早, indicating both the meaning and the sound. Consequently, 草 denotes the plant grass and, by extension, anything rough or careless.
Pinyin
cǎo· HSK 2