育

yù
#609 most
frequent character
to have children, to raise or bring up

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

育 first showed a baby arriving head-down, so it meant giving birth. Later the mother was dropped and ⺝ ròu meat was added for the sound, though that link is weak in Mandarin. The sense grew to breeding, raising a child, educating, and growing.

Drawn as: baby born head-down

育 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters

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