橄 (gǎn): olive (in 橄榄)

Meanings

橄榄油对健康有好处。

Gǎnlǎnyóu duì jiànkāng yǒu hǎochu.

Olive oil is good for health.

美式橄榄球和英式橄榄球是不同的运动。

Měishì gǎnlǎnqiú hé Yīngshì gǎnlǎnqiú shì bùtóng de yùndòng.

American football and rugby are different sports.

usage

橄 never stands alone. Its word is 橄榄 (olive), which extends to 橄榄油 (olive oil) and 橄榄球 (football / rugby, named for its olive shape).

radical

木 mù

tree; wood

The tree radical 木 marks 橄 as a tree word: the olive is the fruit of a tree.

phonetic

敢 gǎn

to dare

敢 (to dare) supplies the sound gǎn exactly and carries no meaning here, serving as the phonetic part.

橄 gǎn