青
あお · ao · JLPT N5 · noun
blue
🫐 ao sounds like ow: a bruise turns blue — 青 covers blue and green alike
Say ao like ow, the sound you make when you get a bruise, which turns blue. Etymology: 青 is growing plant 生 over 丹 mineral pigment, the colour of fresh growth, so it historically covers green too, as in 青信号 for a green traffic light.
青 — 生 (growth/sprout) on top + 丹 (well/cinnabar) below
青 originally depicted young plants (生) growing above a mineral pit (丹, cinnabar well), suggesting the fresh blue-green color of new growth and natural pigments. Over time it came to cover a range of cool colors—green, blue, and even black—and by extension means 'young' or 'youthful.'