海绵
hǎi mián · HSK 7
sponge
🧽 海绵 = 海 sea + 绵 soft cotton; a soft sea-cotton thing = a sponge
海 means sea and 绵 means soft or cotton-like, so 海绵 literally reads as sea-cotton. Real sponges are soft sea creatures, and the kitchen kind copies that springy, absorbent softness.
海 — water radical 氵 + 每 (phonetic)
海 is a phono-semantic compound. The 氵 (water) radical signals the meaning—a vast body of water—while 每 supplies the sound. Originally referring to the sea or ocean, it later extended figuratively to mean 'vast' or 'a great quantity,' as in 人海 (a sea of people).