米
mǐ · HSK 2
rice
🍚 Pictograph of a rice plant: grains on a stalk, four kernels around a central stem.
The character 米 originally depicted scattered rice grains separated by a horizontal stroke. Today it means uncooked/husked rice and also serves as the radical in many food-related characters like 粉 (flour) and 糖 (sugar).
米 — pictograph of rice grains separated by a thresher
米 is a pictograph showing grains of rice scattered around a central horizontal line, originally depicting kernels separated from the husk on a threshing surface. In oracle bone script the dots clearly represent individual grains. The meaning has stayed remarkably stable, referring to husked, uncooked rice and by extension other small grains.