生 (saang1/sang1)

The character 生 originated from a pictogram of a plant sprouting from the ground.

生 (saang1/sang1) is pronounced differently, depending on context, as it is a special character with many meanings.

While the two most common uses are birth/growth (saang1) and life (sang1), this character is also used as part of the compound word for:

• student (學生/hok6 saang1)
• teacher or Mr. (先生/sin1 saang1)
• business (生意); and
• the human condition (人生/jan4 sang1 which literally means human life).