桂花
guì huā · HSK 7
flower
🌸 桂 = osmanthus tree + 花 = flower; the tiny gold blooms used in tea and sweets
桂 names the osmanthus (or cassia) tree and 花 means flower, so 桂花 is literally tree-flower. The clusters of small orange-gold blossoms carry a strong sweet scent and flavor mooncakes, wine, and tea.
花 — grass radical 艹 + 化 (change/phonetic)
花 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The top 艹 (grass) signals the plant meaning, while 化 ('change, transform') gives the sound and hints at how buds change into blossoms. It originally meant 'flower' or 'blossom' and later extended to 'flowery, patterned, to spend.'