花卉
huā huì · HSK 7
plant
🌸🌿 花 (flower) + 卉 (grasses/herbs); 卉 stacks three sprout shapes meaning wild plants
花卉 pairs 花 (flower) with 卉, an old word for assorted grasses and herbs built from three 屮 sprout signs. Together they name ornamental flowers and plants as a category, the stuff of gardens and florists.
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.'