棉
mián · HSK 6
kapok
🧶 木 wood + 帛 silk cloth = cotton grows on a woody plant like soft silk
The left radical 木 (tree/wood) tells you cotton comes from a plant with a woody stem. The right side 帛 (silk cloth) hints at the soft textile you get from it. Sound hook: mián rhymes with 'me on' a comfy cotton pillow.
棉 — tree 木 + white 帛 (silk cloth)
棉 combines 木 (tree/plant) as the semantic component with 帛 (silk cloth) suggesting the soft, fibrous nature. It originally referred to the cotton plant, distinguishing plant-based cotton fiber from silk. The character emerged relatively late as cotton cultivation spread into China.