葉（は、ha）
- leaf

The Japanese word 葉 は (ha) primarily means "leaf" or "leaves" in English. It refers to the flat, usually green, structures that grow on plants and trees and are responsible for photosynthesis. It can also figuratively refer to something that resembles a leaf in shape or function.

⚫︎木の葉 Translation: tree leaves ⚫︎葉っぱ Translation: leaf (informal) ⚫︎落ち葉 Translation: fallen leaves

⚫︎You use 葉 when you are talking about individual leaves or leaves in general. ⚫︎You can also use it to describe the leaves of a specific plant or tree by adding a possessive particle like の(no) between the plant/tree name and 葉. For example, 桜の葉(sakura no ha) means "cherry blossom leaves". ⚫︎The more casual word 葉っぱ (happa) is often used in everyday conversation.

⚫︎The word 葉 is typically written with the kanji 葉, which is the most common way. ⚫︎It can also be written in hiragana as は. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎葉っぱ(happa): informal term for leaf ⚫︎草の葉(kusa no ha): grass leaves ⚫︎If the context is about a business card or letter, the word for letter/document, 書面(shomen), can be used instead.

There aren't direct antonyms, but you could consider the stem, trunk, or flower as contrasting parts of a plant.

秋になると、木々の葉が赤や黄色に変わります。 ・Translation: In autumn, the leaves of the trees change to red and yellow. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the changing colors of tree leaves during the autumn season.

その花はとても美しい葉を持っていました。 ・Translation: That flower had very beautiful leaves. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 葉 to describe the leaves of a flower.

The kanji 葉 is a pictograph representing a leaf on a branch. The original meaning and origin of the word can be linked to the concept of foliage and the importance of leaves in the natural world.