生える
はえる · haeru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to cut
🌱 haeru sounds like hair-u: hair is what grows, as in 毛が生える
The kanji 生 means life or birth. Sound-alike: ha-eru ≈ hair, and hair is a classic thing that 生える: 毛が生える (hair grows). Also used for teeth, 歯が生える, and weeds, 草が生える.
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.