生やす
はやす · hayasu · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to grow
🧔🌱 Sounds like hairy, yes! 生 = grow; hayasu = to let a beard or plants grow
生やす is the transitive partner of 生える (haeru, to sprout). The -eru verb means something grows by itself; -asu means you make it grow. So 髭を生やす means you grow a beard, and 草が生える means the grass sprouts.
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.