芽 (yá) is a Chinese character meaning “sprout”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 牙 (tooth), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “sprout”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 牙
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 4 笔牙 = 7 笔）
Memory aid
A grass top (艹) sitting over 牙 ("tooth"): the first sprout pushing out of the soil is a small green tooth breaking through. Both parts really are in this character, and 牙 yá hands you the sound yá unchanged.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 发芽fā yáto sprout; to germinate芽 = yá
- 豆芽dòu yábean sprouts芽 = yá
- 胚芽pēi yágerm; embryonic bud of a seed芽 = yá
- 萌芽méng yáto sprout; a sprout; the first beginnings of something芽 = yá
Go deeper
All readings
sprout
sprout; bud; shoot — the first growth a seed or plant sends out
植物刚长出来的部分，如种子发出的嫩芽。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 发芽fā yáto sprout; to germinate芽 = yá
- 豆芽dòu yábean sprouts芽 = yá
- 胚芽pēi yágerm; embryonic bud of a seed芽 = yá
- 萌芽méng yáto sprout; a sprout; the first beginnings of something芽 = yá
Sound component
牙 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 芽 mean?
芽 (yá) means sprout; bud; shoot — the first growth a seed or plant sends out.
How do you pronounce 芽?
It is pronounced yá.
What parts is 芽 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 牙 (tooth), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 4 笔牙 = 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 芽 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 芽?
艹. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 芽?
Common ones are 发芽 and 豆芽. The reading of 芽 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.