[Day 63] 草 - grass

Days 61-70

R-report

[Day 63] 草 - grass

Etymology & core meaning: 草 originally combines the grass radical (艹) with a phonetic element; it broadly means 'grass', 'plants', and by extension 'weeds' or vegetation. As a radical it marks plant-related words. In everyday Japanese it appears in gardening, nature, and weather‑related vocabulary. Usage frequency & contexts: Common in basic vocabulary about yards, parks, plants, and simple compound words (e.g., 雑草 for weeds). You'll see both the standalone kun'yomi form (used for ordinary nouns) and the on'yomi form in Sino‑Japanese compounds. Readings: On'yomi (used mainly in compounds): ソウ — e.g., 草原 (そうげん, sōgen). Kun'yomi (native reading used for standalone words): くさ — e.g., 草 (くさ, kusa).

Readings

On'yomi: **ソウ** (sō) Kun'yomi: **くさ** (kusa)

Related words

• 草 (くさ / kusa) — grass - 庭の**草**がよく伸びた。(Niwa no **kusa** ga yoku nobita. — The grass in the garden grew a lot.)

• 雑草 (ざっそう / zassō) — weed(s) - 花の周りに**雑草**が生えている。(Hana no mawari ni **zassō** ga haete iru. — Weeds are growing around the flowers.)

• 草むしり (くさむしり / kusamushiri) — weeding (pulling weeds) - 週末に庭で**草むしり**をした。(Shūmatsu ni niwa de **kusamushiri** o shita. — I pulled weeds in the garden on the weekend.)

• 草原 (そうげん / sōgen) — grassland; prairie - 秋に広い**草原**を散歩した。(Aki ni hiroi **sōgen** o sanpo shita. — I walked through a wide grassland in autumn.)

• 草木 (くさき / kusaki) — plants; vegetation - 山の**草木**が色づいている。(Yama no **kusaki** ga irozuite iru. — The vegetation on the mountain is changing color.)