花粉
かふん · kafun · JLPT N1 · noun
pollen
🌸 花 flower + 粉 powder = flower powder, which is pollen
Kafun is also the root of 花粉症 kafunshō, the hay fever that pollen triggers in Japan. Read the two characters as flower and powder.
花 — grass radical 艹 + 化 (change/phonetic)
花 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The top 艹 (grass) signals the plant meaning, while 化 ('change, transform') gives the sound and hints at how buds change into blossoms. It originally meant 'flower' or 'blossom' and later extended to 'flowery, patterned, to spend.'
粉 — rice 米 + divide 分
A semantic-phonetic compound: 米 (rice/grain) gives the meaning, while 分 (fēn, 'divide') hints at the sound. It originally referred to rice flour or finely ground powder, then extended to any powder and to the pale pinkish color of such powders.