草

JLPT N3

grass

Readings

On’yomi: ソウ (sō)

Kun’yomi: くさ, ぐさ (kusa, gusa)

• くさ – grass, weed, herb • ぐさ – used in compound words (e.g., 枯れ草 “withered grass”)

Structure

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Detailed Explanation

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Mnemonic

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Etymology

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Visual Tip

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Vocabulary

草

くさ

grass

草原

そうげん

grassland

草花

くさばな

flowers

雑草

ざっそう

weeds

草木

くさき

plants

Example Sentences

草が生えます。

くさがはえます。

Grass grows.

草原です。

そうげんです。

It is grassland.

草花です。

くさばなです。

They are flowers.

雑草です。

ざっそうです。

They are weeds.

草木です。

くさきです。

They are plants.

Cultural Note

🍃 In Japanese aesthetics, 草 (kusa) often represents simplicity and natural beauty — like in 草書 (そうしょ, cursive writing) or 草庵 (そうあん, rustic hut), reflecting the humble, unrefined elegance of nature (wabi-sabi).