蔚
dense growth
Strokes14
Readings
On'yomi
- ウツ
- イ
Kun'yomi
- うち
- おとこよもぎ
Meaning
蔚 centers on lush, thick vegetation: a dense growth of plants, often used for the mugwort plant specifically.
Most common words using 蔚
- 彬蔚ひんうつ
erudite and refined; handsome
Study
Etymology
蔚 combines the grass radical 艹 with 尉, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The character originally referred to a type of mugwort and later extended to dense plant growth in general.
Meaning mnemonic
The grass radical 艹 sits above 尉, like a thick layer of plants covering everything below. Picture a dense, overgrown field where the mugwort thrives.
Reading mnemonic
For ウツ, imagine walking through a dense thicket and muttering 'oots' as you push branches aside: oots -> ウツ, and the dense growth makes every step a struggle.