The kanji 葉 primarily represents "leaf" or "leaves" in Japanese. It refers to the flat, usually green, structures that grow on plants and are responsible for photosynthesis. It can also figuratively represent something thin, light, or a page of a book.

・On-yomi (音読み): ヨウ (you) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): は (ha)

⚫︎紅葉 Translation: Autumn leaves; red leaves ⚫︎落葉 Translation: Falling leaves; deciduous leaves ⚫︎葉書 Translation: Postcard (literally "leaf paper")

The kanji 葉 is a pictophonetic compound. ⚫︎ The left part, 艹 (くさかんむり - kusakanmuri), is a radical representing "grass" or "plant." ⚫︎ The right part, 世 (せ - se), is a phonetic component, added to give the kanji a sound. Therefore, 葉 combines the meaning of "plant/grass" with a sound element, forming the meaning of a leaf as a part of a plant.