颗
kē · HSK 5
sphere
🌰 颗 = 木 tree + 果 fruit; classifier for small round things
The right side 果 (fruit) carries the meaning of small round objects, while 页 on the right hints at the shape. Used as a measure word for grain-like or pearl-like items: 一颗心 a heart, 一颗星 a star, 一颗珍珠 a pearl.
颗 — 果 (fruit, phonetic) + 頁/页 (head, semantic)
颗 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 页 (head) originally depicted a human head and signals 'small round object,' while 果 (fruit) supplies the sound. It came to be used as a measure word for small, roundish things like pearls, beads, stars, and grains.