墓地
mù dì · HSK 7
cemetery
⚰️🪦 墓 grave + 地 ground = grave-ground, a burial ground
墓 — grass 艹 + 莫 (phonetic, 'sunset')
A semantic-phonetic compound. The 土 'earth' element at the bottom signals burial mound, while 莫 (originally a sun setting in grass) supplies the sound. The character means 'grave' or 'tomb,' with 莫 also hinting at the sense of life's end.
地 — earth 土 + 也 (phonetic)
地 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 土 means 'earth' or 'soil' and gives the meaning, while 也 on the right hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the ground or land, it broadened to mean 'place,' 'region,' and 'territory.'