核桃
hé tao · HSK 7
walnut
🌰 核桃 = 核 core/pit + 桃 peach; the hard-pitted nut, a walnut
核 means core, kernel, or pit (as in fruit stone), and 桃 means peach. Together they name the walnut, the nut prized for its hard shell and kernel inside. Note 核 hé here, distinct from its hú reading in some compounds.
核 — wood 木 + 亥 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 木 ('wood/tree') gives the meaning, while 亥 supplies the sound. It originally referred to a hard-shelled fruit pit or kernel inside wood/fruit, then extended figuratively to 'core,' 'nucleus,' and in modern usage 'nuclear' (as in atomic nucleus).
桃 — wood radical 木 + omen 兆
桃 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The wood radical 木 indicates the meaning (a tree), while 兆 (zhào) provides the phonetic clue, though the sound has shifted over time. It originally referred to the peach tree and its fruit, long associated in Chinese culture with longevity and immortality.