leek radical (no. 179)
韭 represents a leek or a type of allium vegetable. It is primarily used as a radical in other characters, so its standalone meaning is simply the plant itself.
韭 is a pictograph of a leek plant, with the strokes representing the leaves and root. The modern form retains a stylized plant-like shape.
The character looks like a bundle of long, slender leaves growing upward from the ground. Picture a bunch of leeks standing upright in a garden.
For キュウ, imagine a leek shaped like the letter Q: Q -> キュウ, and the curly tail of the Q resembles the curling leaves of the leek.