生
せい · sei · JLPT N3 · na-adj
birth
🌱 Etymology: 生 began as a sprout pushing up out of the ground; to grow is to be born
The bottom stroke of 生 is the ground and the strokes above it are a shoot breaking through. The same idea gives 生 its other meanings: life, raw and student. As a hook, せい sounds like say: a baby's first cry is its first say.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.
なま · nama · JLPT N3 · na-adj
raw
🥩🥚 生 nama = raw, as in nama chocolate and nama-biiru, the fresh draft beer
The kanji 生 began as a sprout pushing up from the ground, so it means living and fresh. Something still in its living state has not been cooked or processed. That is why 生卵 (nama tamago) is a raw egg and 生ビール is unpasteurised draft beer.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.