芫 (yán): (in 芫荽) coriander; cilantro

Meanings

汤里撒上一点芫荽末。

Tāng lǐ sǎ shàng yìdiǎn yánsui mò.

Sprinkle a little chopped coriander on the soup.

有人喜欢芫荽的味道，有人受不了。

Yǒurén xǐhuan yánsui de wèidào, yǒurén shòubùliǎo.

Some people like the smell of coriander, others can't stand it.

usage

Read yán, 芫 occurs only in 芫荽, the formal word for coriander (everyday speech often says 香菜). A separate reading yuán names a medicinal shrub.

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

艹 is the grass radical, marking 芫 as a herb.

phonetic

元 yuán

first; primary

元 is the phonetic. It matches the yuán reading of this character directly; in the yán reading the sound has drifted.

芫 yán