薇 (wēi): a type of fern (Osmunda)

Meanings

1 a type of fern (Osmunda)
2 used in female given names
3 a flowering plant

Characters

薇

wēi

fern; a flowering plant; used in names

Examples

蔷薇花开得很漂亮。

Qiángwēi huā kāi de hěn piàoliang.

The roses are blooming beautifully.

她的名字叫紫薇。

Tā de míngzi jiào Zǐ wēi.

Her name is Ziwei.

Tips

usage

薇 is extremely popular in female names due to its elegant, floral connotation. Common compounds: 蔷薇 (qiángwēi, rose/rosebush), 紫薇 (zǐwēi, crape myrtle).

Components

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant (top radical)

Top grass radical — Kangxi #140 in its compressed three-stroke cap form. Supplies the meaning: 薇 names a fern or flowering plant, sometimes the rose-mallow rose 蔷薇 or wild fern. The radical anchors 薇 in the botanical family alongside 花 flower, 草 grass, 莲 lotus, 菊 chrysanthemum.

phonetic

微 wēi

tiny; subtle (here phonetic)

Bottom 微 supplies the sound — wēi read straight across with no shift, the same tone and reading. A faint semantic flavor carries over: 微 means 'tiny, faint,' and 薇 is a delicate small-flowered plant. The word appears often in personal names (李薇, 王薇), borrowing 微's gentle, refined feel.