The kanji 茎 means "stem" or "stalk." It refers to the main supporting structure of a plant, the part that connects the roots to the leaves, flowers, and fruits, carrying water and nutrients. It is the part of the plant that grows upwards from the ground.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケイ (kei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): くき (kuki)

⚫︎ 植物の茎 (shokubutsu no kuki) Translation: plant stem ⚫︎ 花の茎 (hana no kuki) Translation: flower stem ⚫︎ 茎が細い (kuki ga hosoi) Translation: the stem is thin

The kanji 茎 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. The left side, 艹 (kusa, grass/plant radical), provides the meaning component, indicating the connection to plants. The right side, 茎 (ke, which is not really a kanji on its own), provides the phonetic component, suggesting the pronunciation. It visually represents the stem of a plant, with the top part representing leaves and the bottom part representing the stem itself.