The Kanji for "Cedar" in Japanese

It's usually pronounced 'sugi', and I will explain how this character came to be.

The left part, also known as the 'radical', is the kanji for 'tree': 木.

But what about the part on the right?

Well, it's pretty simple.
It represents clouds of pollen escaping from the tree and landing on our faces and in our noses.

You don't believe me? Check this out:

Before moving to Japan, I didn't think pollen was visible to the naked eye.

I also never had allergies until about three years ago. Now, I'm a sad victim too. Though not as severely as some people. Sometimes my wife can barely function because of her pollen allergies.

And do you know what the sad part is? This is a problem that was completely avoidable and totally man-made. And once again, it's a consequence of Japanese people willfully ignoring how nature works and only caring about how they can use it, consequences be damned.

Here is an interesting article about this:

The Man-Made Allergy: How Japan Created Its Own Pollen Problem

Every spring, Japan sneezes.

MediumSatoshi Ash Kanemura

Disclaimer: The part about the origin of the kanji may not be entirely accurate and could be considered a "shitpost." However, the information about allergies is accurate.