kind of thistle
菻 refers to a specific kind of thistle, a prickly plant. Its meaning is narrow and botanical, without broader abstract extensions.
菻 combines the grass radical 艹 with 林 (forest), likely indicating a plant that grows in wooded areas or has a dense, forest-like appearance. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The grass top 艹 over a forest 林 suggests a plant that grows among trees. Picture a thistle with its prickly leaves standing out in a small forest clearing.
For リン, imagine a ring of thistles growing around a forest: ring -> リン, and the thistles form a prickly circle.
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