桜
さくら · sakura · JLPT N3 · noun
flower
🌸 桜 = 木 tree + blossom marks; sakura sounds like Sock-ura
The old form 櫻 is 木 tree + 嬰 (a shell necklace), a hint at strings of small blooms along the branch. The modern 桜 cut 嬰 down to three dots over 女. Say sa-ku-ra with even beats: Japanese has no stressed syllable.