They're similar; the difference is mostly in the size/age of the sprout.

芽 is more infantile, when it's just beginning to rise from the seed and break through the ground. When you just see that inch-tall tuft of a basic form of a stem and leaves, that is 芽.

苗 can  used to mean the infantile sprout, but it also is used for trees/plants that are a little bit older than 芽, and have actually taken on a form, rather than just appearing as the sprout.

Think of it this way: 芽 = baby and 苗 = toddler

Last edited by Aijin (2009 December 13, 2:47 pm)

芽 is more like a bud, shoot, sprout or something along those lines while 苗 is usually translated as a seedling. The biggest difference is that 苗 is usually used for a very young plant for transplantation. 芽 is neutral in this sense and can be a bud in the wild.

Also, 芽 is often used figuratively, e.g., まだ芽のうちに摘む (nip it in the bud).

Another big difference lies in their connotations and implications. 芽 often implies the beginning of something, and it's a sign that something new is about to grow or just started growing. 苗 implies it's already growing, and sometimes it could give a sense of dependence probably because of its transplantation usage. In short, 苗 is cuter and dependent, and is growing to its maturity.

苗's moe factor is larger by a factor of gazillion. You'll find the kanji in Japanese female names.

Edit: Ah, the OP already responded to Aijin's post... Sorry for the redundant post.

Last edited by magamo (2009 December 13, 3:41 pm)