杨树
yáng shù · HSK 7
poplar tree
🌳 杨 poplar + 树 tree = poplar tree; 树 always means tree
杨 is the poplar/willow family element (also a common surname Yang), and 树 is the generic word for tree. Pair them and you get the specific tree. The 木 wood radical on the left of both characters flags them as plant words.
树 — wood 木 + 對 (phonetic, simplified to 对)
树 originally combined 木 'tree' with 尌, suggesting planting something upright. The right side served mainly as a phonetic clue, while 木 carried the meaning. Over time it came to mean both 'tree' and the verb 'to plant' or 'establish'.