季
jì · HSK 4
season
🌸🍂 季 = 禾 (grain) on top + 子 (child) — youngest child of the grain, i.e. the season's end
Originally depicted a young grain plant, extended to mean the youngest sibling and then a season (a quarter of the grain year). Modern uses: 季节 jìjié = season, 季军 jìjūn = third place, surname Ji.
季 — grain 禾 on top + child 子 below
Originally an associative compound showing young grain (禾) and a child (子), suggesting a young or immature crop. From this it came to mean 'youngest' among siblings, then a season or quarter of the year — a recurring period like a harvest cycle. Today it mostly means 'season' or a surname.