艹

cao

grass

Simplified form of sprouts or grass (艸) formed by combining 2 sprouts (屮) Used only in combination with other characters and usually placed on top

早

zao

morning, early, soon

早起 to wake up early; 早睡 early to bed; 早上 morning; 早餐 breakfast

Sun (日) rises further up (十) from the dawn “旦[dàn],” to start morning.

草

cao

grass; rough, draft

草地 lawn; 野草 weeds; 草稿 rough draft; 草率 sloppy

草药 herbal medicine; 草图 sketch, draft plan

plant (艹) that grows early (早) is grass

采

cai

to pick, to collect

采茶 to pick tea leaves; 采花 to pick flowers;

采访 to interview (lit. gather opinions);

采纳 to accept (advice); 采用 to adopt / use (a method)

to pick a tree's young shoots or fruit by hand

菜

cai

vegetables, greens

蔬菜 vegetables; 菜单 menu; 中国菜 Chinese cuisine

 plants (艹) that are picked (采) by hand are vegetables

茶

cha

tea, tea plant

喝茶 to drink tea; 茶道 tea ceremony; 茶馆 teahouse

the leaves (艹) that are like a surplus (余) are used for tea

化

hua

to change/convert

-ify, -ization, -ize

变化 change, transformation; 现代化 modernization

文化 culture (lit. written transformation)

全球化 globalization; 简化 simplification

化学 chemistry; 化工 chemical industry

a prisoner takes time to sharpen a spoon to transform and change it into a knife

花

hua

flower, blossom

to spend (money, time)

花朵 blossom; 开花 to bloom; 花粉 pollen

花钱 to spend money; 花时间 to spend time

花纹 decorative pattern; 花哨 gaudy; 花花公子 playboy; 

眼花 dazzled (lit. eyes flowered)

grass changes to flower by spending a lot of time under the sun

古

gu

ancient, old

古老 age-old; 古文 ancient texts; 古城 ancient city

a tombstone old cross on an ancient headstone

苦

ku

bitter; hardship

苦茶 bitter tea; 吃苦 to endure bitterness (a metaphor for resilience)

痛苦 pain/suffering; 辛苦 hard work/toil; 吃苦 to endure hardship

苦难 adversity, hardship; 很苦 very bitter

Old (古) plants (艹) mean medicinal herbs, which are naturally bitter.

乙

yi

second; 2nd

In contracts, 甲方 = Party A, 乙方 = Party B
(like "Party 1" and "Party 2")

the rotate number "2"

艺

yi

art; skill

艺术 art; 艺术家 artist; 工艺 craftsmanship; 技艺 technical skill;

someone looking after a plant (艹) that is growing haphazardly and crooked (乙). Attending to such a plant requires enormous effort and is a skilful art.

隹

zhui

(short-tailed) bird

Signifies a small bird which looked at from its side. While “鸟[niǎo]” is used to and signify long-tailed and larger birds, this character is a general term to mean ‘short-tailed and smaller birds.’

蕉

jiao

plantain; banana

香蕉 banana; 蕉树 banana tree

a plant (艹) that looks dark and like burnt (焦) when it is not fresh anymore is a plantain or a banana

约

yue

to make an appointment

to arrange

 to promise / agree

approximately, roughly

约定 to arrange (to make an agreement); 合约 contract;  大约 roughly

a connection (纟) made by drinking wine together from the same ladle (勺) thus making an agreement or a pact 

药

yao

drug, medicine

中药 traditional Chinese medicine; 西药 Western pharmaceuticals

药店 pharmacy; 吃药 to take medicine; 毒药 poison

a plant (艹) upon which is agreed (约) that it works like a medicine

世

shi

world, society 

generation, era, lifetime

世界 world; 世俗 secular world; 一生一世 a whole lifetime; 

三世同堂 three generations under one roof

"ten" and "ten" and "ten" = three decades = one generation

余

yu

extra, surplus, remainder;

I, me (classical)

剩余 leftover, surplus; 多余 unnecessary, extra

业余 spare time, or amateur (lit. beyond work)

 an archaic component meaning "to ";

what is gathered (亼) on the altar (示) is the surplus

焦

jiao 

burned, scorched;

anxious, worried

焦黑 burnt black, charred; 焦点 focus, focal/central point;

焦虑 anxiety (burning with worry); 焦急 anxious, impatient

a bird (焦) above a fire (灬) being burned