The kanji 芋 primarily represents "potato," "yam," or "taro" – underground root vegetables that are important food sources. It refers to the plant itself and often the edible part, the tuber or corm.

・On-yomi (音読み): いも (imo) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): いも (imo)

⚫︎焼き芋 Translation: Roasted sweet potato ⚫︎里芋 Translation: Taro (specifically, taro root) ⚫︎芋掘り Translation: Potato digging (harvesting potatoes)

The kanji 芋 is a pictograph. It depicts the shape of a root vegetable, likely a potato or taro. The top part represents the leaves or stem, and the bottom part shows the underground part of the plant, the tuber itself. Over time, the character evolved to its current form.