The kanji 萌 primarily signifies the sprouting or budding of plants, representing new growth, potential, and the beginning of something fresh. It often evokes imagery of gentle and delicate things emerging from the earth. It can also figuratively represent the feeling of something beautiful or charming starting to bloom or develop.

・On-yomi (音読み): Mō (モウ) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): meba(eru) (芽生える)

⚫︎萌芽 (ほうが) Translation: Sprout; Bud; Germination ⚫︎萌え (もえ) Translation: A term used in the otaku subculture to describe a feeling of fondness, affection, or excitement for something (often characters in anime or manga). This is a metaphorical use of the kanji's meaning, representing the blossoming of feelings. ⚫︎萌黄 (もえぎ) Translation: A light yellowish-green color, reminiscent of the color of new growth.

The kanji 萌 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). The left side is the "grass" radical (艸, 艹, kusagusa, meaning "grass" or "plants"), indicating the meaning. The right side is "明" (mei, myou, meaning "bright" or "clear"), which contributes to the sound (mō) and the idea of emerging from obscurity. The original meaning relates to the sprouting of grass or plants, where the bright new shoots appear.